Moving Forward
by bittie752
Summary: It's been years since Rose faced heartbreak and did what she had to do, leave the one person she thought she would be with forever behind. Now faced with an impossible situation, her heart and the hearts of the people she loves are on the line once more.
1. Chapter 1

_**The poetry quotes come from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. Thanks to my lovely beta IncurableRomantic and to my friends who have been cheering me on in this. I love and appreciate you all! If it's not obvious by now, I ship Doctor/Rose and they are always my end game.**_

_**~oOo~**_

_**Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,**_

_**And sorry I could not travel both**_

Change was never easy and sometimes it was incredibly painful, even if you knew deep down in your soul that it was what you needed to do. Rose's fingers caressed the coral strut as she watched the Doctor fly around the console for possibly the last time. Mickey sat on the jump seat as oblivious as the Doctor as to what was about to happen. She had asked him to take her back to London but he still didn't know why, and as much as she hated to trick him she wasn't going to tell him until after she was back on the Estate. He grinned over at her, and she looked away. Her determination to do this was tentative at best.

It was the right decision, one that she had spent the better part of this week debating. Staying versus leaving, allowing herself to fall deeper in love with a man who not only obviously didn't want her but had taken her, her life and the life of her best friend for granted. She watched the Doctor, wanting to make sure that he would bounce back after the death of a woman he had loved so completely that everything else fell by the wayside.

To her it had seemed like his mourning Reinette lasted a pitiful amount of time. In fact he hadn't mentioned her after they left the spaceship. If anything, his disregard for the King's mistress made her pity the woman. How would she feel if she could see how fast the man who had supposedly loved her so deeply was over her in the blink of an eye?

Between Reinette and Sarah Jane, Rose had learned the hard way that a Time Lord, this Time Lord, didn't value emotional attachments the way that humans did. None of that made it any easier knowing that he had broken his promise to never leave her. And that broken trust was why she had to leave. She knew that he would bounce back. He was the Doctor and he would move on, find another little ape to show the Universe to. Hopefully, they didn't fall in love with him the way that she'd done. The Doctor needed a mate, not someone who could convince themselves that they were special when they weren't.

There was a small thud as the ship landed. "Goodbye, old girl. I'll miss you most of all," she whispered softly before bounding down the ramp. Turning towards the Doctor, she pasted a fake smile on her face. "So Earth, London, Powell Estate, a few weeks after meeting Sarah Jane, yeah?" She backed towards the door as he came to join her.

"Yep," he popped the "p" as he pulled on his long brown coat. "In time for tea with Jackie. Just like you asked, your wish is as always, my command."

Her smile faltered. "Yes, thank you." As quick as she could she grabbed her knapsack and bolted out the door. She was several meters away when she stopped and turned back around, refusing to give into the stinging wetness in her eyes.

"You didn't say it was laundry day." He came up beside her, trying to take her hand, but she shoved them both into her pockets. Raising an eyebrow, he gave her a quizzical look before speaking again. "I would have landed earlier so we didn't stay too late. You know how your mother gets if we're here too late."

"Doctor, it's not laundry day." She closed her eyes. This was it, the moment that she was going to say goodbye.

His brow furrowed as he studied her. "I don't understand." Mickey came up behind the Doctor but Rose ignored him.

Letting out a long slow breath, she pasted the smile back on her face. "This is goodbye Doctor. I think it's time, and I hope you understand. Goodbye, and thank you for everything." Shock was evident on his face and she waited a beat for him to say goodbye when he didn't she turned around. "See ya."

A moment later, he grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Wait, Rose. Why?" The pained look on his face and his puppy dog eyes were almost enough to break her resolve.

Almost.

Steeling herself once more, she spoke. "After everything that's happened in the last week, do you even have to ask? Sarah Jane, Reinette, Mickey and me almost dying while you shagged your way through Paris."

"I never did anything with her."

"Right," Rose scoffed. "Doesn't really matter though, does it? You showed me my place, and I just didn't want to accept it then. I should have left when you invited Mickey on board. I was gonna, but Sarah Jane talked me out of it."

"What are you talking about? Your place? I don't understand." His eyes were pleading. "Why would you want to leave me?"

Taking a calming breath, she stared him straight in the eyes. It was time to tell him the whole truth. "Look, you needed me before, when you had lost all of your people, all of your family. You told me they were all gone, but you were never really alone. I bet you have hundreds of friends across the Universe. I held your hand when you felt alone, but you're not anymore. You can make new friends." She swallowed and waved a hand up and down his body. "This new you is happier and more friendly, flirty; ladies love you. I'm sure you'll find another assistant in no time. I need to move on with my life. I can't just have you drop me off in a year or two when the new, shiny, more sophisticated, more intelligent girl shows up and snags your attention. I deserve better than that."

"Rose, I don't want anyone else; I want you." He grabbed her hand in his and clutched it tightly. "I promised that you can spend the rest of your life with me, and I meant it. I won't just drop you off one day. Not you. Please believe that I won't leave you."

She pulled her hand away and bit back a sob. He means it in the moment, she told herself. It's a promise that he knows that he can't and won't keep. "But you already did. You jumped through a time window when you knew you had no real shot at coming back."

"But I did come back, and I wasn't even gone that long." He grabbed at her hand again, and she dodged him.

"You got lucky." Her tone was accusatory now.

"I would have found a way back to you. I would have caught a ride with one of my former or future selves. You have to believe me."

One shot: that's what he always gave everyone, and that's what she would give him. "I'll tell you what Doctor I'll stay, if…."

A wide grin formed on his face. He looked relieved and joyful. "You'll stay."

"I'll stay if you can tell me the name of the ship that you stranded me, Mickey and your beloved ship on."

His face fell. He didn't know, and she could tell the moment it hit him just how lucky he had been to find a working window. Blundering into danger with no plan had almost cost him the last part of his home planet he had left, and it had just cost him his best friend.

"That's what I thought. You never knew, did you?"

"I'm so sorry, Rose. Let me make it up to you." He stepped closer, and she stepped back and shook her head.

"Tell you what, Doctor; make it up to me by having a fantastic life. Because that's exactly what I'm gonna do." She took off running, not stopping when she heard him calling her name or when she heard Mickey yelling at him to let her go. No turning back now.

_**Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,**_

_**I took the one less traveled by,**_

_**And that has made all the difference. **_

**~oOo~**

**Ten Years Later**

Rose snuggled deeper under her duvet. Sinking deeper into sleep, she began to dream. Most of her dreams these last few years had been mundane, but occasionally she dreamed of apple grass or frozen waves. There was wistfulness deep down inside of her for what could have been. Rose rolled over; at least the nightmares had stopped.

A keening metal-on-metal noise, one that she hadn't heard in a decade, suddenly cut through the silence of the house. Rose bolted upright. "Shit."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- A Who Down in Whoville made me a beautiful banner for this story. It's on my teaspoon and tumblr accounts.**

**~oOo~**

**October, 2016- Silver Springs, Colorado**

Rose snuggled deeper under her duvet. autumn nights in the Rocky Mountains tended to get more than a bit chilly. But between her flannel jimjams, the pellet stove in the corner of her room and the thick down comforter encasing her, she was warm enough to drift off peacefully. Outside a light snow began to fall, by the morning there would be a light dusting on the ground.

Sinking deeper into sleep, Rose began to dream. Most of her dreams these last few years had been mundane, but occasionally she dreamed of apple grass or frozen waves. There was wistfulness deep down inside of her for what could have been. Rose rolled over; at least the nightmares had stopped.

A keening metal on metal noise, one that she hadn't heard in a decade, suddenly cut through the silence of the house. Rose bolted upright. "Shit," she muttered, throwing off the duvet. Even after all this time she would know that sound anywhere. Grabbing her dressing gown, she ran towards the source of the noise, down a flight of stairs through the kitchen and into the basement.

Standing tall at the bottom of the stairs was the TARDIS. Rose's heart skipped a beat. It had been far too long since she had seen the old girl. Oh, how she had missed the sentient ship. But why was she here? The Doctor had been staying on the periphery of her life since she had left. Why now? Why hadn't he bounded out of the ship yet? Was he alright?

She was just about to run upstairs and find her key when the door creaked open. Hesitating for a moment, Rose waited to see if the Doctor stepped out. When he didn't, she walked over and pushed at the door, letting it fly wide open.

Lying face down on the grating in front of the console was the Doctor. Her eyes went wide, and she rushed to his side. "Doctor, are you alright?" She rolled him over and pressed an ear to his chest. His breathing sounded normal, but something was off. One heartbeat, she only heard one heartbeat.

"Oh God. Are you sick? Are you regenerating? What do I do? Help me?" She was prepared to drag him to the infirmary when his voice filled the air.

_"Hello!"_ She looked up at the monitor to see his face smiling back at her. _"I'm sorry for the impromptu visit, but I asked the TARDIS to seek out one of my former companions because I need your help."_

Of course he did, Rose thought, pulling her dressing gown tighter around her. It would be just like him to drop in after such a long time apart and ask for a favor. Completely and utterly rude, the Doctor was. Oh, there was no doubt she would help. Even now she knew that she wouldn't be able to turn down a request to help him.

_"I ran into a spot of bother with a group called the Family of Blood. Rubbish name, I know. They are like mayflies. Let them alone long enough and they die off. If that's the case, then why am I here you may ask. Well…"_ On screen, the Doctor tugged on his ear. _"See, they're after me and if they get ahold of a Time Lord they could live forever, spreading destruction across the Universe. And we wouldn't want that." _He laughed. _"So I had to do something that I thought I would never have to do. I turned myself human."_

Rose felt like someone had punched her in the gut. What? How?

_"There should be a fob watch nearby. Guard it carefully; it contains everything that makes me, well, me. The TARDIS will construct a backstory and implant false memories. She probably will also have a bag packed in the wardrobe for me. Maybe some papers and such, too. I don't really know what she'll do but as brilliant as she is, I'm sure she'll have thought of everything. Oh, and there should be enough residual memory for me to allow you, whichever you the TARDIS picked, into my life. In three months you can open the watch, and I'll be back to my normal debonair self."_

He took a deep breath, and his smile faltered_. "Rose, if the TARDIS brought me to you…" _The playback stuttered and the screen froze.

She hit the screen a couple of times, but the playback refused to start again. Her eyes narrowed at the time rotor. "Any particular reason you don't want me to see that?" As expected, the ship didn't respond; she simply illuminated the corridor leading to the wardrobe room.

It did not escape Rose's attention that the TARDIS had moved her old room next to the wardrobe. As her fingers traced the intricately carved rose on the door she resisted the impulse to enter. When she had packed to leave she had left very little behind, so now it wouldn't look like her room anymore. She didn't want to ruin the memory she had of that room and the great times she had there by seeing it now.

Moving forward she entered the wardrobe and, true to the Doctor's prediction, there were several packed bags waiting for her. A large rolling suitcase, a stuffed rucksack and a computer bag were lying in a neat pile. On top of that was a folded pair of jeans, a jumper, a thick winter jacket, a wallet, keys and a manila envelope filled with papers.

"You better not expect me to change him." Rose shook her head and gave a stern look at the ceiling. The tone of the humming turned to something that sounded like giggling. Apparently the TARDIS found that amusing. Well, she'd changed him at Christmas all those years ago. What was one more time? Especially now that things were vastly different between them, Rose doubted she'd be nearly as affected as she had been way back then.

She picked up the keys and turned them over in her hand. There looked to be a house key and a car key, a Land Rover according to the key fob. How did the TARDIS manage this? Curiosity took over, and she rifled through the wallet and envelope. There was cash and some credit cards. Most of the papers were official looking papers: visa, passport, birth certificate, all in the name of John Smith. There were also lease papers on one of those fully furnished flats at the condos down the street.

Rose wrinkled her nose at the thought of the Doctor living there. When she first arrived here she'd stayed in one for a week before her furniture arrived. The flats were small and mostly used as weekly rentals for people who couldn't afford to stay at the resort during ski season or rented by hikers who didn't stay in them much during the summer. His whole place would fit in her lounge. Cold, dingy with only a kitchenette and a stall shower, the Doctor would hate it. The walls would feel like they were closing in on him in no time.

But it wasn't going to be the Doctor staying there. It wasn't going to be the Doctor that would be living here in her town, her refuse from the outside world. No, John Smith, a stranger who would have no clue who Rose Tyler was who would be living here.

Putting everything back in its place, Rose carefully hauled the luggage back through the ship and upstairs. It took her two trips, and when she came back to haul the Doctor upstairs she grabbed the pocket watch from where it lay on the ground near him. When her fingers wrapped around it, she heard his voice in her head.

_Rose._

It slipped through her grasp and landed on the grating with an echoing clunk. Ok, that was weird, she thought, picking it back up by the chain and slipping into the pocket of her dressing gown. He had said that the watch contained his essence or whatever, and she knew that he was telepathic so it was possible that the him in the watch was trying to communicate with her. At a bare minimum she supposed that the Doctor was aware of her presence.

Still not sure what to think of this whole situation, she lugged the last of the Time Lords up the stairs. "Blimey, for a skinny bloke you aint half heavy." It took a few minutes and a couple of potentially bruised shins and maybe a bump to the head on his part, but Rose managed to maneuver him onto her sofa.

Quickly, she changed him into the clothes that the TARDIS had provided. It was probably for the best that he didn't wake up and accidentally find his sonic screwdriver or dimensionally transcendent pockets. She placed one of the sofa cushions behind his head and covered him with a one of the blankets she kept lying around for chilly nights. He looked so peaceful lying there sleeping. During her time traveling with him, she had rarely seen him sleep other than right after his regeneration. And on the occasions that he actually did sleep they were usually cuddled in the media room together or once in a while in her bed. Those latter times were only after one of them had had a nightmare and needed comfort.

The Doctor stirred slightly and hugged the blanket closer to him. Checking the clock, Rose noticed it was already half five. She wondered how long he would be sleeping before he woke up in a strange place on a stranger's couch. Letting out a slow breath, she ruminated on that. A stranger, that's how he would see her. Maybe that would be for the best. She could keep an eye on him from a distance.

There was work to be done before he woke up. Carefully, she folded his suit and stuck it in the hall closet. There would be time to stow it in the TARDIS later. She also checked out the window and saw a dark blue Land Rover parked a little ways down the street. With a press of a button she discovered that the keys that the TARDIS had left were indeed for that vehicle.

A plan was beginning to form in her head. She threw on a coat and a pair of shoes and hauled his luggage outside and stacked it in the back of the Land Rover. She tucked the envelope of papers into the computer bag. On her way back inside, she almost lost her footing on a small patch of ice. At this time of year early morning ice was uncommon but not unheard of, and this morning it would be surprisingly helpful.

She checked on the Doctor who was still sleeping soundly before going upstairs to change. On her way she grabbed a photo off one of the side tables. It was one of her and the Doctor at Christmas soon after his regeneration. Even though she didn't think that he would be in her house for very long she didn't want to take any chances.

A familiar tingle of excitement, anticipation and just the smallest hint of dread filled her. It might be a lot more domestic than before, but this was still an adventure with the Doctor. The fate of the world could be at stake. There was no denying that a part of her really had missed this.

**~oOo~**

The pounding in his head was the first thing that he noticed as he began to wake. His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes but even through the haze nothing looked familiar. Where was he? What had happened? Slowly, he sat up.

"Oh good, you're awake," a distantly familiar voice with a London accent said from nearby. "If you were out much longer I was going to have to call an ambulance."

Blinking rapidly, her face swam into focus. His breath caught in his throat. She was stunningly beautiful with softly curled honey-blonde hair, angular cheek bones, full lips and whiskey colored eyes; she couldn't have been older than her early to mid-twenties. Taking in the rest of her, he noticed that she was wearing simple dark jeans, a dark red jumper and trainers. For a moment he thought maybe he died and gone to heaven.

"Are you all right, mate?" she asked, breaking him from his appraisal.

"Yeah, but did you get the number of that lorry that hit me?' He rubbed a sore spot on the back of his head.

She giggled. "Sorry, no lorry. I think you just slipped on the icy sidewalk. Went outside to get the paper and found you. Good thing I did too; your lips were already turning blue."

He tried to stand but immediately sat back feeling dizzy. The woman laid a hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him. "You may have hit your head harder than I thought. I'm going to ask you a couple questions to see if you're alright. What's your name?'

Momentarily he closed his eyes. "John Smith." The name came involuntarily. That was good. Wasn't it?

"Where are you?"

"I thought I was in Colorado, some kitschy name… Serenity, no, Silver Springs. Yeah, that's it. But maybe I fell really far down the rabbit hole and am somehow still in London." He remembered getting off the airplane, picking up the car and even driving through the night to get here.

"Well, you seem alert and responsive to me." She grinned. "And don't worry, you're still in Colorado. You just happened to land on the doorstep of the only Brit in town. Are you here visiting? Ski season doesn't start for another couple weeks."

Pain shot through his head as he shook it. "I'm not here for ski season. I'm a writer. Mostly travel books, articles for magazines, but I was thinking about writing a novel." He winced in pain again.

"Ah, that's the American dream isn't it?" She grinned and stood up. "To escape to some remote destination and write a book that will change the world."

It was his turn to laugh. "See, I always thought the American dream was a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids."

"Why would anyone want half a kid?" She wrinkled her nose. "Let me get you something for your head. I'll be right back, and then I'll make tea." John nodded but before he could say anything she slipped through a door in the kitchen.

In her absence John studied the room around him. The furniture was posh but comfortable; there were photographs of various people hanging from the walls, and a large flat screen telly hung over a fireplace. Nice, but not entirely remarkable. At least that's what he thought until he turned his head. His jaw dropped open in awe.

The entire back wall was floor to ceiling windows, and she had a magnificent view of snowcapped mountains. The wind up at the summit must have been blowing something fierce because the fresh powder was curling like smoke. "That is gorgeous."

"Thanks. It's why I bought the house. You don't get views like that where I grew up." She came up behind him and handed him a couple painkillers and a glass of water. "Here, this should help the headache."

"Thank you, um…" Popping the pills into his mouth, he realized he didn't even know her name.

"I'm Rose by the way. Rose Tyler," she said, turning back towards the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Please don't tell me you use a bag," he whinged as he followed behind her and plopped down on a stool.

Rose rolled her eyes and turned on the electric kettle. "Beggars can't be choosers, Doc… John. No one else in this town can make anything close to my tea." She turned her back to him to begin her preparations. "My mother would have my head if I used bags for a guest."

He quietly watched her measure the loose leaf tea into the pot, take out mugs and pour the water when it was ready. It was only when she was pulling out a tin of biscuits that obviously had to be imported did a thought strike him.

"Why are you doing this?" He nodded to the plate she had just slid in front of him. "You just met me, and now you're making me tea and leaving me alone in your house. I could be a criminal or a rapist or someone with nefarious intent for all you know."

Rose licked her lips then her whiskey colored eyes narrowed, and he felt like she was staring into his soul. "Are you someone with nefarious intent?" she asked, slowly and deliberately.

A lump formed in his throat that he quickly swallowed down. "No," he whispered.

"Good." Her face lit up with a bright smile. "Besides it's not like I couldn't defend myself if you did. I've brought down scarier things than you, John Smith. And as to why I'm doing this… I'm a nice person who doesn't want a stranger freezing to death in front of her house. Think of what it would do to the property values."

"With a view like that I wouldn't worry about dead bodies piling up." He nodded his head towards the wall of windows and accepted the cuppa she offered him. "Although I would think that privacy might be an issue. Can't really dance around in your knickers, can you?"

Rose stiffened slightly. "You spend much time thinking about women you just met dancing around half naked?"

"Only the really pretty ones," he replied lamely and a look of hurt flashed across her face. Uh oh, he thought, maybe he had pushed this flirtation too far. He had just met her and she had been kind enough to not let him freeze on the sidewalk, and he had made her uncomfortable in her own home. "Sorry," he said after a long pause, looking down at his tea cup. "Got a little carried away there."

She let out a short laugh. "You're a flirt." She didn't sound angry. It was just like she was stating a fact. "There are plenty of young women in this town that will fall arse over teakettle for that smile and your accent. Americans love a British accent. But don't go thinking I'll be one of those girls." Her phone began to ring. "My love life is complicated enough, ta."

"Rose, I didn't mean…" He started but she shook her head.

"Drink your tea. I need to take this call." Turning on her heel, she left him alone in her kitchen.

"Well now you've done it, Smith," he reprimanded himself while stirring sugar into his cup. "First day in a new town, in the place you came to escape to and you've already almost killed yourself and managed to tick off probably the most attractive and witty woman you have ever met." Taking a sip of his tea, he hummed appreciatively.

"And she makes brilliant tea." He sighed and dunked a chocolate biscuit in his drink. There was something about Rose, something palpable. She was right about him though; he was a flirt. But it was all flirt and no follow through. His life traveling kept him on the run, and he didn't have time for romantic entanglements. And he was here to write a book, not to socialize.

Suddenly in the silence of the empty room he felt very alone. He never stayed in one place long enough to form lasting connections. When you're constantly on the run it's hard to put down roots.

"Sorry," Rose said, coming back into the room. "Work thing. Scientists and CEOs shouldn't mix. Now I have an issue that needs to be taken care as soon as possible." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she motioned towards the front door.

Scrambling to his feet, he set down his cup and moved to grab his jacket from the lounge. "Um, right, well then it was lovely to meet you, Rose Tyler." He let her name roll around in his mouth, liking the way it sounded when he said it.

"You too, John." Her face lit up again with another genuine smile.

His hand slipped into his coat, finding his keys. "Rose, I was wondering if we could do this again. I mean, not the part where I almost split my skull on your sidewalk. But the talking and the tea. Your tea is very good, by the way. Maybe we could have dinner? I mean, just as friends to make up for earlier and to thank you for this morning."

Mentally he wanted to kick himself. Well, there was another thing he's cocked up, and it wasn't even nine yet. However the more he rambled the more her smile grew. "Dinner as friends? Alright. But not tonight, even though it's Saturday I have a feeling that I'm going to be putting in a full day at the office."

"Right, great, I'll see you tomorrow night seven o'clock, and it's my treat of course. But only as a thank you, not like a date, not that dating you would be a bad thing. I should shut up now. Yeah, shutting up now. Got a bit of a gob on me." He clamped his jaw shut, and she grinned.

"Oh, wait just a mo," Rose exclaimed and dashed out of the room, coming back a moment later with a small white card. "In case you need anything between now and tomorrow night, here's my card. The mobile number on it is the best way to reach me."

Holding it out to him, he noticed her fingers were trembling slightly. He stole a quick glance at the card before tucking it into his jeans pocket.

_Rose M. Tyler_

_Senior Vice President Research and Development_

_Pinnacle Enterprises_

He couldn't wait to find out more about this woman. With one final goodbye he bounded down the steps, excited about how today was shaping up. Little did he know that on the other side of the door Rose was pinching the bridge of her nose and thinking that this was going to be the longest three months of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

**~oOo~**

It was just past ten when Rose finally made it back home. Sometimes she wondered why she had thought dealing with tetchy scientists would make an ideal career. There was a deadline coming up for their newest tech gizmo with the prototype due on Monday, and they still weren't done. Luckily, Rose knew a thing or two about tinkering.

Work today had been a welcome distraction from the Doctor, or rather John Smith. This morning bantering back and forth with him while having tea had transported her back to when they were traveling together. And she realized just how much she had missed him, missed the ease with which they interacted.

Then he opened his mouth again, and she was reminded of why she had left. Oh, she didn't think that the Doctor had actually done anything with Madame du Pompadour, although not from lack of trying on the mistress's part. He was a notorious flirt, but he never did anything about it. Rose seriously doubted that there would have been a kiss between the Doctor and the Uncrowned Queen of France if she hadn't initiated it.

But with his eye being so easily caught so soon after Sarah Jane and promises of 'never you', she couldn't trust him not to abandon her. She still cared about him. How could she not? So the next morning when she had gone to check on him and he was acting like everything was back to normal, understandably she had been shocked.

He'd never once mentioned France on a spaceship again. He had loved Reinette so much that he'd been willing to spend his life on the slow path with her and then he had not said one word about her after that. He hadn't even mourned her after that first night. Rose didn't know who she felt worse for: Reinette for being forgotten so easily, the Doctor for forgetting so easily or herself for knowing that the second she walked out those doors she wouldn't even be a memory.

A week later, after much thought, Rose decided to leave on her own terms. Yes, the Doctor had protested her leaving, but he hadn't stopped her, hadn't even really tried. Going back to her mum's flat was hard, but she made her own way, sort of. There was a scholarship from the Jagrafess Endowment (thanks to Jack) that had financed her studies through University. Rose knew then that she could do this, and she never expected to hear from the Doctor again.

Then came the flowers: pink and yellow roses every year on her birthday and the anniversary of the day they met. No card, but she knew who they were from considering that particular type of rose wasn't found on Earth. No word from him though, at least not directly.

Jack had introduced her to Martha, and the other woman had been standoffish because the Doctor had never shut up about his lost Rose. She had been flabbergasted that he'd spoken about her. If he missed her so much, why hadn't he just come to visit her? Her curiosity was almost overwhelming, but her pride and her desire to make something of herself kept her from reaching out to him, for a little while at least.

On the day she graduated Uni, she came home to her flat and found a blue and silver wrapped package on her kitchen table. Inside was a silver necklace with a pendant that shone like the night sky.

That time he had left a note.

_I am so very proud of you._

_Always yours,_

_The Doctor_

She wore it around her neck every day for two weeks before she mustered up the courage to call the Doctor. Her super phone was back in her mum's flat along with her TARDIS key, but she still remembered the number five years later. As the phone rang, her whole body trembled. How would she feel hearing his voice again? How would he feel about her calling?

There was a soft click as someone answered the phone. There was a distinct sound of the Doctor's laughter in the background, and the girl who answered the phone was giggling. _"Thank you for calling your friendly neighborhood TARDIS, this is Jenny speaking. How can I help you?"_

Rose was shocked. Part of her had assumed that the flowers and the necklace that the Time Lord hadn't moved on. She knew those thoughts were selfish. He needed to move on the same way she did. "Sorry, this is Rose," she said after a moment's pause. "Can you just tell him that I said thank you for the necklace? I really love it, and I'll treasure it always. Gotta go."

_"Wait, what's happening, Mu…." _Rose hung up before Jenny could finish her sentence.

After that she had thrown herself further into her human life on the slow path, no longer wanting to live in _what could have been_. Even through her ups and downs it had been fantastic so far.

Now the Doctor was back, or at least John Smith was. Three months and he would be gone again. In the meantime, Rose had the chance to visit with someone that she had been missing very much. Slipping out of her shoes and grabbing the Doctor's suit out of the closet, she headed down to the basement.

Once inside the console room, Rose felt like the TARDIS had wrapped her in a tight, loving embrace. Her fingers caressed the coral struts. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say a proper hello earlier. Your unconscious pilot had me a bit distracted."

The TARDIS hummed, and Rose smiled. "I missed you too. Just so you know. Sometimes I think I missed you more than him. Because we all know that you're the one in charge." Tinkling laughter filled her head as she plopped down on the jump seat. The Doctor's pinstriped suit was folded in her lap. She wondered if he still carried his sonic in the same pocket of his jacket that he had done when she had traveled with him.

Reaching a hand into the left breast pocket she found the sonic and what felt like an old piece of paper. She pulled both of them out and was surprised that the paper was actually a battered photograph of her and the Doctor on New Earth. It looked old and worn, like it was handled often. Turning it over, she noticed writing on the back. It was written in Gallifreyan and the TARDIS didn't translate.

The Doctor's voice filled the room before Rose could ruminate on the photo for too long.

_"Ok, so I have a couple of rules or maybe guidelines for dealing with human me."_

Rose looked up at the view screen and was greeted with his smiling face. Reflexively she grinned back, curious to see what 'rules' he had for her.

_"First, don't let me hurt anyone. Not that I think that I would, but you know how humans are. Two, don't let me get involved in current events. Can't risk damaging any timelines and since you are a former companion I have every confidence that you already knew that. Four, no wait three, you, I'm not sure exactly how my subconscious will work you in, but if for some reason I am utterly rude to you…"_

"I won't be surprised in the least," Rose muttered.

_"Sorry in advance. Rude and not ginger, that's me. Four, pears. I hate pears. John Smith is just a made up character, don't let him eat a pear. I really don't want to wake up in three months and taste that."_

Rolling her eyes, she sniggered, "You really shouldn't give people stuff to use against you."

_"Five, don't let me invent anything or write anything that could alter the course of human history. Six, don't let me see the TARDIS. It might be too much for John Smith to take, and I don't fancy being carted off to the insane asylum. Seven, no wait six, yes six, the TARDIS is powered down and she won't be able to access all of her rooms so don't push her just because you want to go ten-pin bowling or watch a film from 2539 or something. Seven, I'm allergic to aspirin but I'm not sure if this human version of me will know that. So try and get me to take another type of painkiller if I need one. I don't want to regenerate from a medical accident. Again."_

Rose snorted and was glad that she had come downstairs and checked with the TARDIS before giving him anything earlier. She'd opened the door expecting to have to go all the way to the med bay to get some weird alien medicine cleverly disguised as something human but had instead found a good old bottle of paracetamol. Or at least she had found the American equivalent of it.

_"Eight! Please know I don't expect you to take care of me. I presume that the TARDIS will set me up with some sort of vocation. Oh, or maybe you can get me a job at a little shop. I love a little shop, great places to meet people shops are." _He paused, and he swallowed_. "Nine, if this isn't Rose and you see her, don't tell her that I'm here and not me. I don't want her burdened with me if she doesn't have to be. Ten, if this is Rose, I left you a separate message. Again I'm sorry. If I am with you, it's probably because the TARDIS knows how much I miss you, and because she misses you as well."_

Tears prickled in Rose's eyes. Why is it that he could be so open in videos or holograms but not to her face? And what was in the other message that the Doctor had left for her?

The Doctor cleared his throat_. "Anyway, eleven. Thinking back to things that I probably shouldn't see or have contact with; anything trans-dimensional, like the pockets on my suit. Oh, or my sonic, my psychic paper or anything alien. You'll figure it out. Twelve, while I'm human I won't have the ability to regenerate. If it becomes likely that I'll die, open the watch. It will make me traceable but rather that than me dead for good. Maybe…" _He shook his head. _"Thirteen, the watch. Keep it close to you. I'm trusting you with my life here. It has a perception filter on it so I won't notice it or, you know, try and open it early._

_"Fourteen, it would probably be a good idea for Jack to stay away while the Family is tracking me. If they get their hands on Jack Harkness, the consequences could be potentially devastating. So keep him away. Fifteen, if you have no idea who Jack Harkness is just stay away and don't look him up. Sixteen, if for some reason you do look him up even though I asked you not to, ignore the flirting. He's like that with everyone. And I mean everyone… doesn't matter if it's animal, vegetable or mineral. Seventeen, I'm sorry, Jack, but you know it's true."_

Rose couldn't help but laugh, and she couldn't wait to show Jack this video.

_"Eighteen, if I say or do anything embarrassing while I'm John Smith, please remember that he's not me. I mean he'll have little bits of my personality, possibly, but that's it. He's not me. Although…. Some things may bleed through. Nineteen, Jam! I really like jam and bananas and tea. Please make sure that I don't overindulge because I doubt that human me will have the superior metabolism that the Time Lord me has. Twenty, I will be 100% human, please keep that in mind. Twenty-one, back to the watch, please don't lose it or Time Lord me will be gone._

_"Twenty-two if you open it when I'm not around it may attract attention to us that we don't need_. _And finally, twenty-three, if they find us, open the watch, bring me back. I'll trust your judgment here." _He moved to turn off the camera but then stepped back so that his whole face filled the screen. _"Thank you for this. Really, thank you."_

The screen went blank. Rose let out a deep breath, and then she started to giggle. Those giggles turned into full blown laughter. Oh, that message was so purely him. After a minute the laughter subsided and she yawned; time for bed. It had been a long day, and she needed to digest everything that had happened. Not to mention that she didn't even want to think about what she had agreed to with John tomorrow, not without a good night's sleep first.

**~oOo~**

When his hair was as perfect as he was going to get it, he stepped and appraised his choice of attire; burgundy converse, dark blue jeans, vest top under a t-shirt with a moose emblazoned on the left breast (did they have moose in this part of Colorado?), black hoody and a short black trench coat. He thought he cleaned up nicely.

He had spent a good part of the morning wandering the small town. A few miles away there was a bustling ski resort town with five star restaurants and posh shops, but this one was the epitome of small town Americana. There was one smallish supermarket, four hole-in-the-wall diners, a few specialty shops, a library in what looked to be a large old house and a police station.

Just outside the main square was Pinnacle Enterprises, the company Rose worked for. It was by far the largest building in town and the only thing he'd been able to find out about it so far was that it was some sort of think tank. That, and it was one of the two largest employers for local residents, the other being the coal mine located in the opposite direction of the ski resort.

Small town life, this is what he'd come up here for, to escape from the fuss and bother of city life and to bypass the tourist spots. A quiet spot to write his book, that's what he wanted to find here, and if it came with the added bonus of Rose Tyler, well so much the better.

Grabbing his keys off the side table, he stepped in to the hallway and locked the door behind him.

The Range Rover was downstairs, and even though it was only about a half a mile from his flat to Rose's house he chose to drive. It was a cold night, and he didn't want to battle with the ice again. Besides, this way he could take Rose to a nicer restaurant than the ones within walking distance.

In a matter of minutes, he was bounding up the stairs to her door. His knuckles rapped out 'Shave and a Hair Cut' on the wood to let her know that he was there and waiting. There was a shuffling inside, and he heard two quick knocks answering 'two bits' to his greeting. He smiled as she opened the door.

"Can't leave it unfinished," Rose laughed and stepped aside to let him in. "You're right on time. Wasn't expecting that."

His mouth went slightly dry as he took in her appearance. Her blonde hair in a messy up do and green cable knit sweater with large brown buttons and a dark muffler wrapped around her neck made her look like the epitome of casual elegance. The sound of her clearing her throat brought him out of his reverie.

Blinking for a second, he smiled at her. "Well, I was eager to see my new friend. And dinner. I'm a bit famished. So yes, enthusiastic about dinner with the beautiful lady of the house who is just my friend."

"Riiight," she countered, quirking an eyebrow. "So, did you have any idea where you wanted to go for dinner?" Quickly grabbing her coat off the back of a nearby chair, John helped her put it on. "Such a gentleman." Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile.

"Just trying to make up for my rudeness earlier, and I have a few ideas about dinner. There's a French place up near Bear Lodge. I'd love to see if the American version stacked up to the real thing. And I hear that they have dancing."

Rose looked him over appraisingly and then shook her head. "The food there is great, but you're a bit underdressed for that place. Both of us are. Black tie only, and yes, the dance floor is very nice." After buttoning her coat she stepped out onto the stoop. He followed her out and for the first time noticed that there was no key lock on the door. Instead, there was what looked like a biometric key pad.

"Are you sure that's safe? I mean, a really good hacker could easily pick a biometric lock." John pulled out a pair of glasses from his coat pocket as he bent over to study the device.

Rose snorted. "Not this one, it needs six types of identification in order to open the lock. Besides it deadlock seals after two failed attempts to open it, alerts the authorities and contacts me immediately."

"Impressive," John replied, nodding. "Who designed it?"

"I did." Rose was down the steps and already heading down the driveway when he stood back up. "Are you coming?"

Rushing to catch up with her, he wrapped a hand around her elbow, gently guiding her to the passenger side of the car. He helped her inside and then shut the door before going around and sliding into the driver's seat. Once they had pulled out onto the street, he chanced a glance over at her.

"When you say that you created the door lock thingy, do you mean you yourself did it or the company you work for? Your card said you were in research and development."

"Both, actually." She sounded chuffed. "I had this… friend, and he loved to tinker. I guess it rubbed off. So when I went to Uni to get my business degree, I took some mechanical engineering classes. Turns out I had a knack for it, and I changed my major. Minored in business. The rest is history."

A feeling of pride enveloped him. He asked her a few more questions about her childhood as they drove the short distance to a burger joint he had scoped out earlier. To say that he was awestruck with her 'rags-to-riches' would have been an understatement. Rose Tyler was remarkable, and John could easily see himself falling for her. When he put the car in park, he was a little disappointed that she didn't wait for him to come round and open her door. He really was trying to be on his best behavior after yesterday's rude behavior.

Rose appreciated that he held the restaurant's door open for her and pulled out her chair for her. So far, John Smith had proved himself to be a polite and magnetic man and he was doing his absolute best to charm the pants off of her. She couldn't let him, though; it would add further problems to her current disaster of a love life. Okay, disaster wasn't the right term. It was just convoluted.

Under the table, John's foot tapped nervously next to hers. The Doctor had hardly ever been nervous, especially around her, unless they were alone and he had unintentionally taken their flirting too far. That was when he awkwardly backpedaled. She had learned early on that the Doctor loved to flirt but that he rarely meant anything by it. Not to her, not to anyone really, and now she had gone and made herself a little bit sad.

"Everything alright? he asked, looking at her from over the top of his menu, his sexy specs perched on his nose once more. Why did he have to wear those things again?

She shook her head clear. "Just away with the fairies for a mo."

With a smile and a nod he looked back down at his menu. "So what's good here? I mean, I assume you've been before since there aren't that many restaurants in the vicinity."

As if on cue, a waiter that Rose knew set a basket full of chips and a bottle of vinegar down in front of her. "Thanks, Brock," she said, smiling gratefully at the young man.

"Usual to drink, Rose?" he asked, and when she nodded he turned to John. "And what can I get for your friend here?"

John flipped the menu over and perused the drink selections. "Banana milkshake, ta," he replied after a moment.

"Two banana shakes coming up. I'll give you two a moment to decide what you want." Brock headed back to the kitchen.

"Come here often then?" John teased, stealing a chip before she drenched them in the vinegar.

Rose shrugged. "Like you said, not many places to eat around here." She bit into one of the greasy potatoes. "Besides they have the best 'fries' for miles." As she said the American word for chips she made air quotes with her fingers, and he laughed. "Most places cut them too thin."

"That and the cute waiters." He nudged her foot with his.

She tightly pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "I don't think Brock swings that way, John, but I'm sure that there is some lovely young man out there for you. I have this friend back in Wales that would love to meet you."

The surprised look on his face was priceless. "What no, no, no, no, no… I mean it looked like Brock fancied you is all. I like girls… women. I like lovely, mature women. Not too old, though. You know… young, fit, great smile, doesn't take herself too seriously. Oh, I've bolloxed this all up haven't I?"

Laughter spilled uncontrollably from her mouth. God, she missed laughing this much. She hadn't had anyone to really joke around with and tease since she moved here over a year ago. "You are such an easy mark."

Grinning, he pointed a finger in her face and wiggled it causing her to laugh harder. "And you are very, very mean, Rose Tyler."

The way he said her name caused her to slow her laughter. "Sorry," she giggled and drew in a deep calming breath. "Brock's a good kid, a sixteen year old kid, about half my age. He's already saving money to go to college. He wants to be a large animal veterinarian."

John gave her a crooked grin. "You seem to know a lot about him."

Shrugging again, she returned his smile. "Small towns are full of gossip. Everyone knows everyone else's business. See Lisa over there." She pointed to a brunette in the corner. "She's having an affair with her boss. Always been trying to shag her way to riches, and that bloke…" This time she pointed at a man sitting at the counter. "Got a bit of a gambling problem. Give it a week, John, and the chinwags in this town will spread your entire life story to everyone. Best to play things close to the vest, give them a little bit while keeping all the juicy bits to yourself."

A few minutes later Brock came back and took their orders. Their playful banter continued through dinner. All in all, Rose was having a great time. It had been so easy to slip back into their playful banter—way too easy. She'd all but forgotten that this wasn't the Doctor until he'd started asking questions about her family on the ride home.

"So, are your parents still back in London then?"

"Um, yeah." Rose bit her lip. "My mum, Jackie, lives just outside of town now. I bought her a house so she could get off the old estate. She does hair and plays Nan to my friend Mickey's girls."

She glanced at his profile, and he turned to look at her for a moment. "And your dad?"

"He died when I was a baby, hit by a car." Turning her head, she looked out the window.

Reaching over, he found her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry."

She squeezed back. "It's alright, been a long time. What about your parents?" Looking back at him, she was curious for his answer.

"Ah yes, they died in a house fire several years back." This time she squeezed his hand before he continued. "My mum, Verity, was a Literature professor, and my dad, Sydney, was a watch maker."

"Must have been hard on you," Rose murmured, wondering if when he thought of those fictional people he thought of the family he lost in the time war.

"A bit yeah, but traveling was a distraction. And then the wanderlust took over. I'll have to tell you about my travels one day, Rose Tyler." He pulled his car into her driveway.

For a moment, Rose wondered what was going to happen now. This wasn't a date, and she prayed that John wouldn't try to kiss her. This was already complicated enough. Oh god, they were still holding hands. She quickly let him go. "I'd like that, but not tonight, John. I'm knackered. See you soon, though." She was out of the car and up the steps before he had a chance to say anything more than a quick goodnight.


	4. Chapter 4

~oOo~

For the next four days Rose threw herself into her work. She was not avoiding John, not really. They had talked on the phone a couple times as well as had a few casual conversations when they ran into each other. However there had been no more meals together, not since that first night.

There was a looming deadline for her new project to think about. At least that's what she kept telling herself. They had texted back and forth a few times since the awkward ending to their evening out. If she was entrusted with keeping the human John Smith safe then she couldn't just ignore him. She just didn't have a whole lot of time to spend with him right now. That caused her to feel almost equal amounts of relief and guilt.

She was conflicted, very conflicted. Her life now was fantastic and she loved it, loved everyone in it, and she didn't know if she wanted to be caught up in the Doctor's slipstream again. She needed someone to talk to because right now she couldn't trust herself to make any kind of decisions.

Setting her take away down on the counter and slipping off her shoes, she made a decision. It was time to call Jack. It was half six here and would be well past midnight In Cardiff. Thankfully her impossible friend didn't sleep much. She just hoped she didn't catch him and Ianto in their naked shenanigans time. Activating the vid-com she kept in the lounge, she placed the call and plopped down on the sofa, tablet in hand. A moment later Jack's face filled the screen.

_"Hello, gorgeous. Long time no talk." _Jack was chipper as always. And thankfully not naked. Rose could see his rolled up shirt sleeves and typical braces.

"Oh, you know, work just keeps me busy. My newest project has to be ready to roll out by the end of the month. And you know what a tight-arse my boss is."

_"Might I remind you, you're your own boss but I must say that you have a very tight arse. Still think you should come work with me. I miss you. When are you coming to visit?"_

"Oh Jack, I miss you too and I've got a holiday planned after the New Year and stop asking me to come work at Torchwood. You know I'm probably going to end up there eventually. After things start to become noticeable." She waved a hand around her face. "You're gonna be stuck with me for a long time. Might as well get some experience on my own first." She cleared her throat. "But that's not why I called. I have a little bit of a tricky situation on my hand."

Leaning into the camera, he asked, _"What's wrong, Rosie?"_

Rose stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Jack was the only person that she would ever allow to call her Rosie. "I'm sending you a file. Watch it and then we'll talk." Pressing a few quick commands on her tablet she sent him the Doctor's message and rules that she'd downloaded from the TARDIS. While he watched, she went and grabbed her dinner. She was just settling back down when Jack finished watching the videos.

He chuckled. _"I love how I got my very own rules."_

"I thought you might get a kick out of that," Rose laughed.

He peppered her with rapid-fire questions. _"So he's really there? And he has no clue who you are? Have you seen him as this human yet? Any idea how long it's been for him?"_

"Of course he's really him, either that or someone managed to clone a one-hearted version of him. He doesn't remember anything about the Doctor because the Doctor is trapped in a fob watch. John and I had dinner a couple nights ago. He's been here less than a week. And I have no idea how long it's been. Could be a hundred years or a few months."

_"You went on a date with John Smith? I mean I know that you missed him, but that's a little fast for you." _He was grinning from ear to ear. _"And more importantly, what does Liam think about it?"_

"Stop it. It wasn't like that. If I need to keep the Doctor safe I need to at least be friends with him. I mean her seemed interested but I can't. I just can't. Besides I haven't seen him since that night."

_"If I were you, I'd be getting that man in bed…"_

Quickly Rose cut him off. "Yes, Jack, I know exactly what you'd do." He gave her a cheeky grin and she shook her head. "Now focus for a mo. Have you ever heard of the Family of Blood? Sounds ominous, I know, but how big a threat are they really?"

_"Off the top of my head I don't recall having heard of them. But I'll check the Torchwood archives and see if I can come up with anything."_ Jack let out a deep sigh. _"Are you okay? I mean, you haven't seen or heard from the Doctor in ten years; it must be overwhelming to say the least."_

"He's not the Doctor, Jack, he said so himself." She didn't bother to correct him on the point of not hearing from the Doctor in that time. Although flowers, a necklace and one card didn't really count as contact, did they? "The Doctor is in the watch. I'll keep it safe and John safe because that's what he asked me to do. And in three months we'll go our separate ways again."

_"Are you sure that's what you really want? For you both to walk away from something great again?"_

Rose bit her lip. It wasn't a question that she wanted to answer right now, if ever. "Jack, I can't right now. Let me know if you find anything. Gotta run."

_"I know when I'm getting the brush off, sweetheart, even though it doesn't happen often. Just promise you'll think about what you want to happen when all of this is over."_

Rolling her eyes, Rose promised him she'd think about it, even if such thoughts were against her better judgment. "I'll talk to you soon. Night, Jack. Love you."

_"G'night, sweetheart. Love ya too." _He winked at her before signing off.

Rose snuggled into the sofa and picked at her dinner. Calling Jack had only made her feel nominally better. Tomorrow, she resolved that she would have to see John again, get to know him. She would take this one day at a time and hoped that her heart didn't caught up in the mix.

~oOo~

On Friday morning, John settled into the booth he'd been using at the café for the last several days. The kitchen in his flat was not at all conducive to cooking, and this place had wonderful pancakes.

The waitress, Carol Ann, placed a cup of coffee in front of him. The woman was middle aged, fairly pretty, ginger and more than a bit of a flirt. John mostly bumbled through conversations with her when she was flirting, He didn't want to encourage her but apparently, as Rose had predicted, many of the women in this town took his friendly demeanor and British accent as tantamount to him being a Lothario. Not exactly the reputation that he wanted to have.

"Mind if I join you?" Rose asked, sliding into the booth across from him. She looked as if she had just been out for a jog; her golden hair tied back in a ponytail and she was wear a lavender tracksuit and trainers.

"Yeah, sure," he replied with a smile. He'd spent the last two days analyzing every moment of their dinner. After its abrupt ending he'd assumed that he had done something wrong, but Rose had texted him the next day. She had said that she was busy with work, however she hoped to see him soon. Since then it had been nothing but text messages, a phone call and a chance encounter or two.

He thought that he had scared her off but here she was, sitting across from him.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked as Carol Ann set mug of coffee down in front of her.

"No, I'm just happy to see you again." He smiled shyly at her.

"John, you didn't tell us that you knew Rose here," the waitress said, resting her hand on his arm. "Are you two kin or something?"

Scooting slightly across the bench seat, he managed to get Carol Ann to let go of him. "Nope, not related what so ever, nope, nope, nope." He was babbling and he knew it. Rose leaned over the table and laid her hand over his and he instantly felt a warmth flow through him.

"We just met Saturday. John slipped on the sidewalk outside my house. I brought him in and made sure he was all right." Rose squeezed his hand, and he turned his over so that their palms were touching.

"Just hit it off." John smiled first at their waitress and then at Rose. "It's nice to have someone to remind you of home."

"So are you two… you know? Together?" Carol Ann asked, sounding a bit dazed.

A small giggle escaped Rose's lips. "I never kiss and tell." Rose squeezed his hand before letting go. Immediately, he missed the connection to her. However, he was confused by what his breakfast companion had just intimated about a relationship between them.

"Can I get oatmeal with brown sugar and a side of toast, please?" Rose asked, smiling in spite of the strange look the waitress was giving them. "What did you want, John?"

Quickly, he ordered what was to become his usual, banana pancakes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The moment the waitress collected the menus and turned around Rose moved her hand from underneath John's. Immediately he felt its loss. He looked over at Rose, confusion all over his face.

She smiled. "Carol Ann is on the prowl," she whispered. "Looking for a husband, a way out of this town, and you could take her pretty far away from here. I just figured if she thought you were unavailable, she'd leave you alone."

His eyes scanned the room until he saw the subject of their discussion. "Well, Carol Ann looks like she might be quite the catch, buuuuut," he drew out the word as he leaned back into his seat. "I'm not looking to settle down just yet and for the moment, I'm very happy here with my new friend, Rose."

For a moment she didn't react and he was afraid that he'd said something wrong. Then she laughed. Her next question was a complete non sequitur. "Do you like running?"

"Oh, I love it." He leaned forward again, elbows on the table. "Haven't had a chance to do much since I arrived here. Takes a while to acclimatize to the altitude."

"I'll say," agreed Rose. "I've seen people sick for a week when they first get here. You seem to be doing alright though; appetite doesn't seem to have suffered."

He gave her a wry smile. "Guess I was just blessed with good genes."

A single eyebrow shot up as she looked at him appraisingly. "Not that good."

"Oi!" The protestation came out louder than he meant it to.

The expression on her face changed. She looked dead serious, and he felt himself get just the slightest bit nervous. "Alright, then you can prove to me just how good those genes are." There was something about her. He'd known her such a short period of time but he felt like he would live or die by her good favor. He wanted more from her, but he knew he'd have to hold back if he didn't want to scare her off.

His voice caught on his next words. "What.. What did you have in mind?" Anticipation built as he waited for her to reply. Right now he was certain that he would do anything that she asked of him.

Leaning forward on her elbows she mirrored his position and one corner of her mouth curled upwards. "Running, five miles every morning. All types of terrain. I bet you won't be able to keep up with me."

The mood shifted to a more jovial one. "Oh, I think I can more than keep up with you. I think you will be, what's the saying?" He paused and grinned wickedly at her. "Oh yes. Eating my dust, Rose Tyler."

"You're on." She grinned back. "Meet me at my place six am tomorrow, sharp."

The rest of breakfast was enjoyable. The pair enjoyed an easy back and forth style of banter. An hour later when John finally made it back to his flat, he felt inspired. Cracking open his laptop, he began to type. Words flowed easily from his fingers. His muse had been found in the beautiful, intelligent, spitfire known as Rose Marion Tyler. He was so wrapped up in his writing that he didn't pause to think how he knew her middle name since she had never once mentioned it to Mr. John Smith.

~oOo~

Rose sat at her desk in her office several days later. Her eyes had begun to glaze over as she entered her third hour of redoing her department's budget. Unconsciously, she rubbed her the ring finger on her left hand with her thumb. This was by far the worst part of her job, the paper work. She would much rather be in her lab or meeting with investors or clients.

Tea, she needed tea and thank God that her assistant knew how to make a decent cuppa. She hit the intercom. "Clara? Can I bother you for some tea?"

_"Yes, ma'am,"_ the thick southern American accent came thru the callbox. _"Anything else?"_

"No, thank you." Rose released the button and tried to go back to her work. After a few minutes she gave it up as a bad job and closed that file and opened another one. Her fingers nimbly typed the password, _Iamnotamused._ She had only looked at this file once since she had been here and only a handful of times since she'd created it ten years ago.

It was her diary, sort of. Really it was a written compilation of her experiences. She'd scanned in all of the pictures that she had taken with her, which was only about half of the ones that had been in her room on the TARDIS. There was no doubt in her mind that her room was gone now. Probably destroyed by the Doctor soon after she left. Maybe the ship had saved the pictures. It had been a mistake to leave so many behind with her second Doctor.

...

John was restless. He'd woken early after having the strangest dream. There had been time to write before his run with Rose. After breakfast, he'd run to the bookshop in town to buy a journal. There were several things from his dreams that he had wanted to sketch.

Following that he took a leisurely walk around town, something he liked to do even after his run in the morning. Time spent with Rose made him feel alive and this time spent meandering helped him to process the inspiration that she gave him into the written word. In fact, he had finished chapter two just after lunch but didn't have the desire or motivation to move on to the next chapter.

He wanted to do things that didn't involve sitting. His energy was spent cleaning his small flat, trying to get rid of that slightly stale air smell that never seemed to go away. Maybe he could ask Rose round this evening to watch a film. Of course after that he became fixated on the fascinating woman that he was so enamored with.

Quickly, he decided that he needed to see her. She had worked straight through the weekend; apparently there was some deadline that had to be met. At breakfast this morning, however, Rose had told him that the project was now complete, and she would be spending the day doing boring paperwork. That was no way to spend the day! No, this was a rescue mission.

It was a short walk across town to her office. In a few minutes he was opening the door to Rose's office building for the first time. Looking around he saw nothing extraordinary about the place. There were some fairly uncomfortable looking chairs, motivational posters that were more entertaining than motivational. A high receptionist's desk sat opposite the door; behind it sat a pretty young woman. She beamed at him when she caught his eye.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" the woman asked.

"I'm here to see someone," John replied, coming over and leaning on the desk, his head in his hand.

"Anyone in particular? Or are you open to someone new?" The woman with dark blonde hair walked her fingers up his arm until her hand rested on his bicep. "Because I'm available."

"Ahhh, ummm," John spluttered, unsure of what to do next.

"That's enough, Joan," another woman with a thick southern accent and long brown hair said, saving John from the uncomfortable situation. "Can I help you, sir?"

He scrambled to stand up straight. "Yes, I'm here to see Ms. Rose Tyler."

"Ms. Tyler is very busy today. Do you have an appointment, Mr...?"

"Smith, John Smith, and no, I don't have an appointment. I'm here to whisk her away for a day of adventure." John shifted from one foot to the other; perhaps he should have called first. Between the aggressive flirt and the keeper of the keys, he wasn't sure that he'd get to see Rose.

"Please wait here while I see if Ms. Tyler is available." She turned to address the receptionist. "Ms. Redfern, please find a way to behave with some decorum."

Joan looked down at her hands. "Yes, Ms. Oswald."

Turning on her heel, the petite Ms. Oswald walked back down a hallway, into the bowels of the building.

...

There was a knock at the office door, and Rose abruptly shut the file. "Come in." She turned to see who was there and smiled when she saw Clara holding a steaming mug of tea.

"Here you are. Just how you like it." The young brunette set Rose's favorite mug on the corner of her desk. "Just received a call from Mr. Copper confirming that you would be in Denver on Friday to meet with a new investor. Your mother called again; she'd like for you to call her back when you get a chance. She has Sophie today and thought that you'd like to have a chat. Also there is a gentleman in the lobby who said he's here to, let me get the phrasing right. Oh yes. He was here to whisk you away for a day of fun and adventure."

Rose smiled. "Right. Let me guess, he's a good looking, tall, skinny bloke with a great head of hair that calls himself John Smith?"

Wrinkling her nose, Clara replied, "Well, he's really not my type, but I guess he's nice looking. The dragon lady certainly seems to think so. Do you want me to let him in or send him away?"

"I don't think it would work if you tried to send him away, and I think I could use the distraction today. Give me a mo to finish up here and I'll meet him in the lobby. Oh, and get him a visitor's badge. Might as well give him a tour while he's here."

"Yes, ma'am." Clara gave her boss a wink before walking back out of the office.

...

"Ugh, she is such a stick in the mud." Joan rolled her eyes before batting her lashes at John. "So like I was saying before, did you want to get a drink later?"

His eyes went wide. Were all American women this forward? "Erm…No, thank you. I'm not really on the market right now. Sorry." Walking backwards, he sat down in a chair and pulled out his mobile.

"Are you married?" Joan pressed on, apparently not deterred by his not so subtle brush off.

"No," he replied, not bothering to look up at her.

"You got a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh…" She paused for a moment and he thought that finally she'd gotten the message. "So you're not into women then? A little light in your loafers?"

He looked up at her astounded. "What?"

"We just don't get many of the gays around here." She made air quotes with her fingers when she said gays. "Well, some do vacation at the resort and some come into see our quaint little town. So you're welcome here, I guess."

Now he was livid. Slowly he walked over to her desk and leaned over it. "Do you know what year this is?"

Joan raised an eyebrow. "Are you are insane too? It's 2016."

"Exactly. It's 2016, and that kind of narrow minded thinking isn't going to get you very far in life." Anger grew in his eyes. "And what does it say about you that you jump to conclusions about my life simply because I'm not interested in you. Maybe you're the nutter since you don't seem to grasp the subtlety of being let down easy. I'll be having a word with your boss about your treatment of visitors to this business. I'm sure that you are not the image that this company, or any company for that matter would want to portray."

Joan stood and got into his face. "You have no right. I'll have you know that my father works here, and you just took things the wrong way." She picked up the receiver on her phone. "I'm calling security."

"That will be enough Ms. Redfern. It is completely unacceptable to treat a visitor like this," Ms. Oswald reprimanded, coming back into the room.

"Ma'am, this man verbally assaulted me." Joan pointed a short finger at John. "I want him kicked out of here and banned from the building. I may even need to go home because of all the abuse."

Ms. Oswald pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just stop it, Joan. You seem to forget that there are cameras in the lobby and audio feeds."

"That's a violation of my rights," Joan protested loudly.

"And those rights end when you walk through those doors. In your contract it clearly states that everything here is monitored." Sighing, Ms. Oswald turned to John. "I'm very sorry for all of this, Mr. Smith."

"Call me John," he replied automatically.

"And you, John, can call me Clara." She grinned brightly at him. "If you'll come with me, I need to get you a security badge before I take you back to see Rose. I'll deal with you later, Joan," she said in an aside to the younger woman before they disappeared down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

**~oOo~ **

Several minutes later, John was standing outside Rose's office door, his new security badge pinned to his chest. Because she was talking on the phone facing the window with her back to him, he couldn't hear what she was saying, but with the sun pouring through the window, she was surrounded by an almost ethereal glow. A sense of déjà vu washed over him, and a voice whispered in the back of his mind. I want you safe, my Doctor. He shivered at the phantom message and went back to simply observing her.

Rose listened to the girl on the phone as she prattled on about a trip to the planetarium that Sarah Jane's son, Luke, and his friends had taken her on. It was something the group of friends did regularly now. Sophie's second Saturdays they were calling the outings. "Gran is calling me," Sophie said sadly. "I miss you so much. I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

"Of course, sweetheart, I love you and miss you too," Rose said softly into the phone. Her thumb absent-mindedly stroked the ring finger of her left hand. "Talk to you soon, my love."

"Love you, too. Bye." The phone clicked off and Rose sighed. She missed Sophie dearly and hated that her move here had made seeing her near impossible. At least they had phone calls. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

She could feel his eyes on her as she set down the phone. "Hello, John," said Rose, turning around. "Did you get bored sitting around at your flat?"

"A little bit, maybe a lot." John shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Ok, probably a lot. Didn't feel like writing anymore, and I figured I could rescue you from this place." As if in disgust, he wrinkled his nose. "Who would want to be cooped up in an office all day even with that magnificent view?"

Tipping her head to the side, she smirked. "Well, being cooped up in here is the exception rather than the rule, and sometimes when something in the lab is stressing me out I come here and stare at the mountains. I find it relaxing. The view from here is one of my favorites."

"Oh, I didn't mean the view of the mountains." His voice dropped an octave. "I meant the view I'm seeing. The one of you."

Rose swallowed and somehow managed to hold his gaze. This human man, the one who was not the Doctor, had spent the last two weeks or so making his intentions towards her quite clear. Nevertheless, there was no way she could act on his advances. The Doctor didn't feel that way about her, and in a little over two months John Smith would cease to exist.

That last thought poured over her like a bucket of cold water. Looking down, she broke the moment between them. John was fun, sweet and entertaining. He was easily her best friend here stateside, and in a few short weeks she would have to let him die. No, she couldn't let herself think like this; it wouldn't do any good.

"Would you like to see the place?" she asked, trying to shift the focus onto something other than whatever was happening between them. "It's a pretty nice place, if I do say so myself. State of the art technology, lots of techno babble and mad scientists to talk it with. It seems like something that you'd love."

He stepped out of the way of the door frame and back into the hall. "I'd love to see what it is that you do here all day with that clever brain of yours." Once she was across the room, he took her hand and looped it through his arm.

"This way." She indicated a door at the end of the hallway that needed a pass card to open it. "You are about to enter the nerve center to the entire factory. Where some of my dreams become realities, and some of my realities become dreams. "With a swipe of plastic the door opened.

John gave her a lopsided grin. "Rose Tyler, did you just quote Willy Wonka?"

"Might have done." She hummed _In a World of Pure Imagination. _"The 1971 version is my favorite. I somehow missed seeing the 2005 version. I think I was out of town."

"Gene Wilder was a genius in that," John stated definitively. "His character was both delightfully childish and utterly terrifying. By far my favorite as well."

Rose half expected him to go into a discussion about the similarities and differences between Dahl's book and the real life of Mr. William Wontka of the planet Cholada. It was a conversation that she'd had before with her first Doctor just before he took her to experience those chocolate waterfalls first hand. Instead they discussed Rose's company.

Pinnacle Enterprises, as John quickly learned, was founded in 1910 in New York City by a man named Lloyd Webb. In 1912, his wife was diagnosed with consumption. "Or as it's know now, tuberculosis," Rose explained. "And mountain air was supposed to do wonders for the illness."

"Ah, so he moved the family here for the love of his wife," John replied thoughtfully.

Pushing open a door to a lab, Rose grinned. "Exactly! In 1912 Lloyd had a massive house built. It's still standing. Used primarily as the town's library and public offices. The family took residence in 1913, and he ran his lab out of the cellar. It's a bit romantic, don't you think?"

"Oh, very much so," he agreed quickly. "Turning your life upside down to prove your love for a woman and yet still managing to keep be who you are and do the things that you love. Yes, very romantic."

A deep blush formed on her cheeks, and he thought that she looked all the prettier for it. "So the company is still privately owned, along with a half dozen other companies, by the Webb family trust. The home office is back in New York, but I run the majority of the day-to-day operations here. Our clients range from governments to Fortune 500 companies to individuals looking to _trick out_ their homes."

"I'm so proud of you," he exclaimed, the words slipping out of his mouth. "I mean you're doing a brilliant job here, and I'm sure that your family must be so proud of you."

"They are. Thank you." Rose looked away and bit her lip. A moment later she was tugging him towards one of the scientists. "John, this is Dr. Malcolm Turner, one of my brightest inventors. Malcolm, this is my friend, John Smith."

After several minutes of discussions with Malcolm, John wouldn't hesitate to say that this place was quite impressive. Loads of brilliant people building loads of brilliant things, and Rose knew everything about every single project. Her eyes lit up the most, however, when she drug him to her lab and talked about her own projects. The computer that you could strap to the back of your hand that would translate hand movements into written words was remarkable. Then there was her pet project, a universal translator that fitted just behind the ear and tapped into the speech centers in your brain.

"It sort of gets in your head, but you can sever the connection whenever you want," Rose said excitedly as she placed the small device on him. "I'll speak, you'll hear the words in Spanish or whatever, and you'll know what I'm saying." When she started speaking again, in Spanish, he understood what she meant. Well, not the words really, since he didn't speak a lot of Spanish. He understood how incredible her invention was, and he fell just a little deeper.

"Right now there are only four languages programmed into the translator right now: Mandarin, English, Hindustani and Spanish." Removing the device and stowing it carefully back in its box, she slipped back into talking in English. "The top four spoken languages in the world, and the set-up is simple: plug my little translator into your phone, use the app to select your native tongue and off you pop."

"That's going to revolutionize global communications," he stated, completely gob smacked. "This must be what it feels like to be in the presence of someone like Alexander Graham Bell. Only I knew you before you were famous."

"Nah, Alex was much more interesting than me and such a charmer…" Rose's eyes went wide. "I mean, I imagine that someone like Mr. Bell would be far more interesting than I am. It's not like I had a time machine and went back to meet him." Her eyes wouldn't meet his.

"If I had a time machine," John said teasingly. "There are a couple of things that I'd want to do."

"Oh really." Rose raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Slowly he reached over and took her hand in his, and he began to draw small circles with his thumb on the back of it. "There would be so many great people to meet: Shakespeare, Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, and of course you."

In confusion, her eyebrows knitted together. "I've already met you. That's why we're here now talking, as friends."

"Well, yes, I know that," he laughed. "I meant, I'd go back and find a way for us to have met sooner. I wish I'd known you since we were kids. You in pigtails and me in my big coke bottle glasses. We'd have thousands yesterday's together."

Rose pulled her hand away. "You can't say things like that, John. Life is messy, and you can't go back on your own timeline. It has to move forward. You can't just go back. My life is complicated and... and we've only known each other a few weeks."

"Exactly! I've known you a few weeks and you've already turned my life upside down. In such a good way." He took step forward and she took a step back, shaking her head.

"It's not the right time, John. I need time. Right now, I just..." Her tongue darted out of her mouth to moisten her dry lips. "Right now I can't... We can't."

His face fell and his shoulders sagged. "Right." It was too much too soon. He'd pushed her too hard, and now she was going to push him away completely. His heart felt like it was breaking. Oh, there was no doubt that he was the biggest git that had ever lived. "Sorry, I'll just go then." He turned and headed towards the door to the lab.

"John, please wait," Rose called as his hand reached for the door. He stopped but he didn't turn around. "It's not that… It's not that I don't like you. I do, but like I said, things in my life aren't cut and dry. I just…"

Finally he turned to look at her. The normally confident woman that he had known for such a short period of time look nervous and unsure of herself. He'd done that to her.

"Can't we just be friends for now, John? The best of friends?"

Numbly he nodded, frozen to the spot, watching as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. A hug, she was giving him a comforting hug after he'd crossed the line. His arms came round her, and he squeezed her tightly. If this is what she was willing to offer for now, he'd take it.

Rose let herself stay in his arms for longer than she should have. It was her first hug from this man (well, a man in this body) in a decade so she shouldn't be held responsible for her actions. She had hated seeing that pained look in his eyes when she shut down his advances, but it would be so much harder for her to watch the Doctor walk away when this is all over. That is what she still wanted, wasn't it? Her life here on Earth because his wasn't worth the risk to her heart?

A knock on the door broke her from following that train of thought. Extricating herself from his arms, Rose went to open the door. Clara was on the on the other side with a very irate looking Dr. George Redfern. Fan-flipping-tanstic.

"Yes, Clara?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Dr. Redfern would like to discuss the incident in the lobby with you?" Clara said, casting a disdainful look at the man in question.

"What incident in the lobby?" Rose hated not knowing what was going on.

George pushed forward into lab, knocking Clara out of the way with his rotund stomach. "The one involving that…that…that jerk right there." He wagged a fat finger at John. "Who came to my daughter's place of business, propositioned and then harassed her when she turned him down. I want him arrested."

History was repeating, Rose thought as a gnawing feeling grew in her stomach. Joan was a pretty young woman, probably just the Doctor's type.

"Now see here," John started to protest but Clara cut him off.

"When you see the footage, Ms. Tyler, you will see that it was Ms. Redfern who acted completely inappropriately and unprofessionally." Cautiously she stepped between the two men. "Dr. Redfern is simply upset that his daughter was disciplined and a write up added to her file."

"I firmly believe that footage was tampered with," Dr. Redfern bellowed.

"That is enough, George!" Rose's tone was firm and unyielding. The man instantly quieted down. "I want you and Joan to wait for me in my office while Clara and I review the video. John, I'll call you later."

"I'll meet you in security, Rose," Clara said as she pushed Dr. Redfern from the room, letting the door close behind them.

"Rose, please just let me explain," John pleaded. "She started it. Wouldn't just let it go. Please believe me."

When she had traveled with the Doctor, he had been a flirt. Both versions of him had been, but he'd never been forceful about it. And no man or woman that she could recall had ever been opposed to it. Best to give John the benefit of the doubt. "I'm sure it was all Joan. Wouldn't be the first time she's grossly stepped out of line. Stop by my place later. We can watch a movie. I'll make popcorn."

"Yeah." He paused for a moment. "So…should I just see myself out?"

Rose laughed. "Come on, I'll escort you up front. I'm not sure I trust leaving you in the labs unsupervised. You'd blow something up within the first five minutes."

"Oi! I'm not that bad," he protested and she giggled. "Alright, maybe you have a point, but you still wounded my manly male pride."

This time she took his hand and led him back towards the lobby. "I doubt there is anything that I could do to damage that ego, John. But as recompense I'll cook you dinner."

"I like it when you use those big words, Rose Tyler," he murmured as they neared their destination.

Rose gave him a tongue in teeth grin. Her vocabulary had certainly expounded since she left him, just one of many things that were different about her now. "I read a lot. Now shift and meet me at my place around seven."

"Alright, alright..." He held up his hands. "I can tell when I've overstayed my welcome. I'll see you later."

"Not if I see you first," Rose replied before heading back to her office.


	6. Chapter 6

**~oOo~ **

Rose popped the cork on a bottle of red wine, pouring herself a rather large glass. Things had been heated in her office earlier during her formal reprimand of both Joan and Dr. Redfern. After seeing the footage, it was abundantly clear that Joan had acted inappropriately, and Clara had let her off easy with just the write up. This one was her final warning. If she put one more toe out of line it was her job. As far as her father was concerned, well, he really needed to learn to open his eyes to his daughter soon or his own career would suffer.

There was a knock at the door just as Rose dropped pasta into the now boiling water. She placed the lid on the pot and turned down the sauce to a simmer before going to let John in.

He was grinning broadly when the door swung open. "I come bearing gifts of friendship." From behind his back he produced a gift bag. Inside was a box of microwave popcorn, a tin of chocolate and a spray can of whipped cream. "My contribution to tonight. Thank you for inviting me over."

Rose grinned and started back towards the kitchen. "Well, you are very welcome." Deftly, she put the whipped cream in the fridge and set the bag on the counter. "The food should be ready in a few minutes."

"It smells delicious. What's on the menu tonight?" John asked, plopping down on the bar stool.

Rose opened the lid to a pot and used a spoon to test the pasta. Still not done. "Nothing special. Just a simple dish of pasta with marinara sauce, but I have wine. Would you like a glass?"

"Why not," he agreed with a cheeky grin.

After filling a glass that she had left out with the deep red wine, Rose handed it to him. When his fingers brushed hers she ignored the familiar tingle of electricity that she felt. "So, um, I figured that since you suffered the trauma of the dragon lady today, that I'd let you pick the movie." A sly smile formed on her face. "Just this one, so you know. I don't want to end up watching a sappy love story every time."

John winked at her. "So this isn't just a one off then? Are we going to make movie night a friendly thing that we do?"

"I like watching movies," she replied, rolling her eyes. "And on occasion, I might invite you over to watch them with me. But don't you dare think that I'm cooking you dinner every time either. I'm not that domestic."

"Oh no. Of course you're not. House, job, carpets." He picked up the wine glass and meandered over to the shelf where she kept her film collection. "The only thing that you're missing is the dog." He started to examine which titles she had.

"Or a cat," Rose replied, stirring the sauce. "For all you know, I could be the crazy cat lady."

Looking up at her, John smirked. "You most definitely have the crazy part right."

"You had better watch it, mister." She pointed the spoon threateningly at him. With a large plop, some of the sauce hit the counter top. "You never know what I'll put in your food. I think I have some tinned pears around here somewhere."

His nose crinkled in disgust. "Pears wouldn't be good with pasta. I'm sure there are much better things you could poison me with than that." Lifting his glass to his lips, he took a large drink and Rose stared at the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Rose forced herself to turn around and focus on dinner, not the Doctor, no, John. The pasta was now perfectly al dente, and she began putting the finishing the touches on dinner. After dishing up the food, she added garlic bread to each plate.

When she finally turned around after several minutes, plates in hand, John was lounging on the sofa. He'd kicked off his shoes and his feet were resting on the coffee table, the remote in his hand. "So what movie did you choose?" she asked, handing him one of the plates before settling in on the opposite side of the couch.

"Thanks, this looks delicious." John licked his lips as he took the plate from her. "As for the movie… I was going to pick one of _your _romantic comedies. Pillow Talk is a brilliant movie, by the way. I love Doris Day."

"Well, she is blonde. Seems to be your type," Rose mumbled into her wine. John must have brought it over while she was plating.

"What was that?" He shifted so he was sitting sideways with his back against the arm of the sofa. "Did you just imply I have a thing for blondes? Because that is simply not true." He feigned indignation. "I have a thing for brilliant, funny, spunky women. Also, I would think you were gorgeous no matter what color hair you had."

A blush crept up her cheeks. It was so easy to get caught up in this man's wake. He knew all the right things to say. All the things that she wished that the Doctor had said to her. John is not the Doctor, Rose thought to herself for what must have been the hundredth time today.

It was time to change the subject. "Who doesn't love Doris Day? Especially when paired with Rock Hudson? I love old Hollywood movies. Besides, I didn't say I didn't like romantic movies. It's just sometimes I like to watch a comedy or something with explosions."

He nodded slowly but there was a look in his eyes that indicted that he didn't quite believe her. "Well then, I'll have to see if I can find a copy of Send Me No Flowers, since your extensive collection seems to be lacking it. For tonight, however, I figured that a comedy was in order: a Mel Brooks classic."

Apparently, John had figured out how to work her overly complicated surround system/DVD combo because soon the familiar scrolling text filled the screen. Space Balls was the perfect choice for a little non-romantic relaxation. With a small sigh she sunk a little deeper into the cushion and tucked into dinner.

John had watched her out of the corner of his eye all night. He loved the sound of her laugh. He loved how she enjoyed the cheesiness of the movie and how she was unafraid to poke fun at the parts of the movie that were clearly impossible. And don't even get him started on how adorable she had looked with the dollop of whipped cream on the end of her nose.

He had pushed the boundaries with his comments tonight, but he couldn't help himself, no matter how hard he tried. There was no denying that he wanted her, in any way she would let him have her. Late nights in the lounge laughing, or going for a run in the morning, and maybe one day they could be more. He needed them to be more, needed her. Of course he would wait for her to sort out whatever she needed to sort out. No matter how long that took because Rose Tyler was worth the wait. She was worth fighting for.

At the end of the evening, when Rose could barely keep her eyes open, even if was only half ten, he bid her good night. "I'll see you in the morning, Rose, for our run." She trailed after him to the front door, probably to lock it behind him. "Unless, of course, you're going to want a lie in for being up so late."

"Oh, I'll be there, and I'll be the one leaving you in my dust." Her crooked grin made her all the more beautiful. Maybe he would let her beat him, just so he could enjoy the view.

"We'll see about that," he replied softly and leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

Rose looked slightly bemused as he bounded down the stairs. He was happier in that moment than he had been in his entire life so far.

~oOo~

The moment that she got into the cab, Rose slipped out of her shoes and into the ballet flats that she had brought for just such an occasion. Normally, she wore something more practical than heels but when she had to meet an investor in Denver. That had meant a bumpy plane ride from the small airport nearby, heels and a business suit. But it had been a successful day that had ended with signed contracts.

Once she made it to the airport, she made it through security quickly and started the long trek through the terminal to where the local flights departed. Finally sinking into a chair across from her gate, her mobile chirped. It was a text from John.

_I missed you today._

Rolling her eyes, she started typing back.

_Don't you have better things to do than sit around missing me? :-p_

John had been doing little to hide his growing affections for Rose. He was very sweet, funny, and brilliant, and she enjoyed spending time with him. Enjoyed it a little too much, maybe.

Her phone alerted her to another message.

_The book was going gangbusters but my muse ran off to Denver_

She didn't have time to reply back before she got another message.

_Lunch and the cinema tomorrow? My treat…_

Her breath hitched. Up until now, Rose had insisted on going Dutch. John had been subtly hinting that he wanted to move them into the dating category even though she had asked him to give her time. He wasn't pushing her, but he wasn't shying away from spending time with her either. It had only been two weeks. How on Earth was she going to survive three months?

After that first movie night, they had gone for a run and had breakfast every morning. They were extremely competitive about it although Rose thought that he purposefully lost every now and then just so he could check out her bum, and maybe she had let him get ahead of her a few times so that she could do the same. She never just let him win, though. In the end, she'd fight him hard for the win. They hadn't been able to go for a run this morning because she had an early flight.

Their runs hadn't been the only time they spent together. One night they had met Clara at a local pub for drinks. He cooked her dinner and made a right mess of her kitchen in the process once. Enjoyed another movie night or two. On Halloween, Rose had pulled out this hideous dress that her mum had made her buy last winter. Jackie had insisted that it was haute couture. Rose thought the skirt looked like it was made from a down comforter. When John asked, she told him she was dressed as a sleeping bag. After composing himself, he disappeared for twenty minutes. When he came back he was wearing a heavy army green poncho and declared himself to be a tent. They had laughed for hours.

Last night, though, they had gone stargazing. John had an incredible knowledge of the stars. She wondered if any of that had come from the Doctor. Sometimes she couldn't tell the two apart, especially with John's minute mannerisms: the way he grinned, inflections in his voice, the way he varied the pressure while holding her hand depending on his mood. But that was impossible. The Doctor had said so himself.

_Are you trying to complicate things?_ She typed back the response, hoping that he would take the hint.

Beep. _Me? Complicate things? Never._ _XD_

Rose giggled in spite of herself.

Her phone beeped again. _So friendly lunch and a film tomorrow?_

The voice of the flight attendant on the loud-speaker cut through the din around her. "Now boarding United flight 4723 from Denver to Gunnison, all seats."

_Sounds fun. Got to go, flight boarding. Come round 11 tomorrow. G' Night_

Rose grabbed her boarding pass, purse and computer bag and joined the short queue to board the plane. Once she was settled into her seat she pulled out her mobile to turn it off and found one last message.

_Can't wait. Have a safe flight._

Two more months, Rose thought with a sigh. She'd survived over a year mostly alone in the TARDIS with the Doctor where the sexual tension was palpable, and absolutely nothing had happened. Surely she could deflect John's charming advances for two more months. He's not the Doctor, not the Doctor, and in a few months he'll open the watch and John won't exist anymore. Rose had to keep reminding herself not to allow feelings to develop for a fictional man. But when faced with said fictional man in front of her it was hard to believe that there wasn't some part of the Doctor in John. The more time she spent with him the more the lines between John and the Doctor blurred.

No! This line of thinking wouldn't help. Friendship, that's all she wanted. That's all she could have. Absent-mindedly her left thumb rubbed the ring finger on the same hand. There were other obligations that she still had. One that was sitting right in a small velvet box in her safe right next to the Doctor's pocket watch.

She powered down her mobile and stuck it in her computer bag, missing another message by mere seconds. A message that would have alerted her that someone had just used an access code to gain entry to her home.

~oOo~

There was a feeling of anticipation and excitement filling John as he skipped up the steps to Rose's door. They had been growing closer over the last few weeks. Despite her protests that her life was too complicated to date anyone at the moment, they still spent copious amounts of time together. And if all she was willing to give right now was her friendship, he'd take it and hope that it could grow to something more.

He was whistling as his knuckles met wood. Almost immediately, footsteps sounded on her hardwood floors. As the door creaked open, he was ready to launch into a speech about the reviews for the movie that he had read online when he was greeted with by someone other than Rose.

"Oh. Hello. I um, didn't expect to see you here," said a very confused looking man whom John had never seen before. "What are you doing here, now? After all this time?"

John quickly appraised this new person. His dark hair was damp. With an angular jaw and bluish-green eyes, he didn't look like he could be related to Rose, even if he did have a London accent. Instantly he didn't like the man. It felt instinctual. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? And while we're at it, who the hell are you?"

The man's eyebrows shot up. "You don't know who I am?"

"If I knew who you were, I wouldn't have asked." Even John was surprised by the harshness in his tone. "Where's Rose?"

"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm not exactly sure what's going on around here, but Rose is upstairs in the shower. I can go and get her if you want." The man stepped aside. "Would you like to come in, Doc..."

"It's Smith, John Smith," he snapped, pushing past this unknown element and heard the door close behind him. "You still didn't say who you are, or how you know Rose. Must not be all that important, seeing as we made plans and Rose didn't bother to mention you."

"Probably because she didn't know I was coming." The man chuckled and shook his head. "I'm Liam Donnelly, Rose's fiancé. Pleasure to meet you, _John_. Wait here a mo' and I'll grab Rose." Without another word he turned and went up the stairs.

At the word fiancé, John's heart dropped. Complicated. She had said her love life was complicated. Was Liam the reason? His eyes searched the dozens of photographs lining the walls. Surely if Rose were betrothed there would be a picture of him somewhere in the mass of photos.

And there it was, set on a side table near the front door. It was obvious that they were in London; Big Ben was in the background. Liam had Rose tucked against him on one side and on the other was a young blonde girl no more than eight years old.

Okay… so maybe complicated didn't just include a fiancé, maybe complicated meant a daughter too. How had he not seen this before?

Bloody hell.


	7. Chapter 7

**~oOo~**

The hot spray of the shower helped to release the tension in Rose's shoulders. Liam showing up last night had burst the bubble world that she had been living in since the TARDIS arrived in her basement. It had been easy to get swept off her feet by John. He reminded her so much of the Doctor was like when they weren't running for their lives.

But she had moved on with her life. Had moved on with Liam, loved him, helped to raise his daughter, and agreed to marry him. He wasn't just someone that she wanted to walk away from. Not when Liam hadn't been afraid to love her back.

Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her. She needed time to think, alone. Maybe she could send Liam on an errand and steal away for a bit

"Rose, darling," Liam called, coming into her room. "I think we have a problem."

Unconsciously, she tightened the towel before responding. "Just got out of the shower, give me a minute." Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she stepped into her room where the tall broad-shouldered man that she still loved dearly stood leaning against the dresser. The expression on his face was one of worry, one he usually wore when his ex-wife was giving him grief over Sophie. "What's wrong?"

His body tensed momentarily. "The Doctor is downstairs. He's wearing jeans, not the suit that you said he normally wears, and he didn't know who I was. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Dammit, just when she thought things couldn't get any worse. "What did you say to him? Did you call him Doctor? Shit." Her voice was frantic, hoping that Liam hadn't said anything to upset John.

"Calm down, Rose," Liam strode over to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. His thumb drawing small circles on her collarbone. With that small, familiar gesture Rose felt herself relax. "Tell me what's going on and why the Doctor is suddenly back in your life and why you didn't mention it before."

Taking a deep breath, she began to tell him about the TARDIS landing in her basement and the Doctor needing to hide from the Family. "So he doesn't remember anything about his real life, all the things that he thinks he knows aren't real. And I haven't told anyone but Jack because I didn't want to put anyone else in danger because of this Family, least of all you and Sophie."

Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. "That's a lot to ask of you, keeping him safe from these people. Why you? Why not one of the dozen other friends he's met along the way?" Liam sighed. "He hasn't done anything more than send you flowers for ten years, and now he asks you to risk your life keeping him safe? You've moved on from him."

Rose had always known that Liam knew whom the flowers came from, even if he never asked and she never said. "The TARDIS picked me, not him. Maybe she missed me; maybe he missed me."

"So what?" Liam's brow furrowed, his eyes searching her face for something. "Have you two been seeing each other since he got here? Because he seemed pretty damn upset when I said I was your fiancé. I know what we said before you left, but I didn't think that this would happen."

All of the sudden she felt like she was on the defensive. It was this line of questioning that she was trying to avoid by not telling anyone, save Jack, that the Doctor was here. "No, we're just friends." She couldn't believe that he had told John about the fiancé thing, especially since, strictly speaking, it wasn't true. "Look, I'm not trying to start something back up with the Doctor…"

Something occurred to her. Something that Liam had said when he came into the room. "You said he didn't recognize you. He's never met you. How would he know who you were?"

It was Liam's turn to look defensive. His long fingers drummed on his thigh, a telltale sign that he was uncomfortable. She knew him well enough to know that he'd been caught hiding something from her. It wasn't something that he normally did. There were very few secrets between them. That was one of the things that she cherished the most about their relationship, their openness.

"I met him once," Liam whispered. "About two weeks after I proposed. I was leaving Sarah Jane's. I'd dropped off a book for Luke, walked outside and there it was, the TARDIS. And he was leaning against that blue box waiting for me."

"What did he say?"

"Same basic threat I got from everyone else. 'If you hurt her I'll make sure that you regret it'. Not that I didn't fully believe it from Jack or Mickey or your mum, but from him… I was pretty sure that I could have ceased to exist if he decided that I shouldn't." Liam shivered. "But there was something in his eyes when he said your name… I'll never forget that."

"But you didn't bother to tell me that you saw him!" Rose wasn't sure which was worse, Liam keeping this from her or the Doctor for thinking that he had the right to do that. She grabbed her undergarments from a drawer. Definitely the Doctor. He had no right to threaten Liam.

"Would it have mattered if I did?" Liam's voice was soft and gentle, and it made Rose angrier. Taking her clothes, she went into her walk-in closet to get dressed. The door slammed shut behind her. From the other side of the wood, he spoke again. "Would you have really wanted to know if he had come and he hadn't visited you? I know you. That would have hurt worse than him staying away completely. I promise that I wasn't keeping this from you because I wanted to cause you pain. Trust me, the opposite is true. I never want to see you hurt."

Rose halted while pulling on a pair of black trousers. He was right. She would have been distraught had she known that the Doctor had visited someone close to her but had avoided seeing her. Dammit, she wanted to stay mad. Liam using logic against her worked most of the time, and the Doctor wasn't really here for her to rage at.

Quickly, she finished getting dressed and stepped out of the closet.

"I'm still a little mad at you, at both of you." She poked Liam in the chest. "You, go downstairs and tell John I'll be down in a minute and play nice."

"I'm always nice," Liam countered before swooping down to give her a quick kiss. "However I'll promise not to say anything to purposely upset the Time Lord in hiding. I do want to talk more about this later though, sweetheart."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I figured as much. Now shift." Turning on her heel, she stalked off towards her en suite.

Thankfully, it didn't take Rose long to fix her hair, choosing to plait it while still slightly damp. These days she wore far less make up than she had when she was traveling through all of time and space. Within ten minutes, she was pulling on her boots and heading downstairs. Hopefully, Liam had stuck to his word and played nice. Not that he was ever really the jealous type. The Doctor, well her first Doctor, had been extremely jealous and from what Liam had said it seemed as if John had retained that particular trait. Fan-bloody-tastic.

At the bottom of the stairs she took a moment to quietly study the two men. Liam was on the sofa, one arm thrown across the back, his right ankle resting on the opposite knee, looking completely relaxed. On the other hand, John was leaning forward, elbows on his knees with his long fingers splayed across his face. Tension radiated off of him as he glared at the man across from him. Rose cleared her throat. John stood abruptly, almost tripping over himself. When his eyes locked with Rose's he grinned and relaxed slightly. From the sofa Liam gave her a lazy smile.

"You look amazing," John said hurriedly. "I mean… It's good to see you. I thought that we were going to the cinema. Wasn't expecting you to have company."

"Sorry 'bout that." Liam joined in the conversation without getting up. "I didn't let Rose know I was coming. Did I, darling? Thought I'd just surprise her."

She let out a sigh and then smiled at John. "Yep," the p popped in her typical fashion. "Total and complete surprise. So I'm sorry, but it looks like plans are going to have to change."

"I like a good film," Liam added, smiling cheekily. "Might be a nice outing."

"How long is he going to be here?" John addressed her, completely ignoring the other man.

"Don't know," Rose replied at the same time Liam said, "Might be making it permanent."

Rose narrowed her eyes at the dark haired man on the sofa. "Liam and I have a lot of things to discuss. I'm sorry, but I'll have to take a rain check on lunch." Reaching out, she laid a hand on John's arm to reassure him. "Hope you understand."

"Come on, flower," Liam said, finally standing up. "John's already here, and I'm a bit peckish. Why doesn't he join us for lunch?" Coming around to her side, he wrapped an arm around Rose's waist. "What do you say? Rose? John?"

A look of anger flared on John's face as he glared at Liam's hand on Rose. Suddenly having these two on the same planet didn't seem like a good idea, let alone at lunch. She was just about to decline when John looked up at her, and she could see him tamp down the jealousy. "Sounds great."

"There's a really good Chinese place near the resort," Rose added before anyone else could make a suggestion. The place had nothing but round tables, so there would be no fighting over who sat by her. "John, could you be a dear and grab my green jacket from the closet?"

"Of course," John replied softly before giving Liam a hard look and left the room.

When he was out of earshot, Rose rounded on Liam. One of her shapely eyebrows raised, and she tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

Liam grimaced. "He really doesn't like me. Are you sure that he's not the Doctor?"

"Stop being a knob, Li. I asked you to play nice." She couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"I thought I was being nice, inviting him to lunch and all." The grin on his face was far too adorable as a result Rose punched him in the arm to wipe it off of him. "Oi!" He rubbed his arm in mock hurt. "What was that for?"

"Just be normal, alright? Be your normal wonderful self and tonight when we're alone we'll talk about you and Sophie moving here." Her hands rested on his biceps. "I'm not something to be fought over, no matter how John acts. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." He leaned over to kiss her, and she turned her head and he caught her cheek.

~oOo~

The ride to the restaurant had been uncomfortable, at least for John. Liam had Rose laughing by the time that they had reached the end of her street. Honestly, John didn't think that it was a smart decision on the other man's part to cause the driver of a vehicle to cackle so hard she could barely breathe. It was dangerous, reckless, annoying and about twenty-seven other words that could express his displeasure but weren't polite to even think of in Rose's presence.

Once they made it to their destination, John scrambled out of the backseat in order to open her door for her. Part of him felt it was inane to feel so jealous of this other man. With her words, Rose had made it clear that she wasn't interested in a relationship. Then again, there was a simmering tension between them. He'd never force her into anything she was uncomfortable with of course, but he had been hoping to build something with her.

Then Liam had shown up.

From what he had gleaned both on the car ride and the conversation before ordering their meal was that Liam was a London solicitor who worked a lot of pro-bono bitter custody disputes. Liam had tried to downplay it, but Rose had gushed about the good work that he did for a living. A radiant smile had been plastered to her face when she explained to John that Liam took on the cases that no one else would. The ones where one party was rich or powerful and the other didn't have the means to pay a high priced lawyer. He was fighting for what was fair for everyone, and most importantly, so that children wouldn't be wrenched way from a loving parent.

Reaching over, Liam laid a hand on Rose's. "I'm no saint, Rose. Just someone with the means to help others where I can. It's not like I'm saving the Universe."

Beside him, Rose choked on her drink. Liam gently patted her back before turning to look at John. "Tell me about yourself, John. What do you do?'

"Travel mostly," John replied, taking a sip of his iced tea, not sure if he'd ever get used to that particular American beverage. Who had ever thought it would be a good idea to put ice in tea? Madness, absolute madness that was. "Traveling and writing about it. Telling people the best beaches to visit, the best places to have chips."

"Sounds interesting," Liam grinned and dropped an arm around Rose's shoulders. "What are some of your favorite destinations?"

"Spain is lovely, nice weather. I like the beaches in Nice, but there is something to be said about Raxacoricofallapatorious this time of year." He lifted his eyes and met Rose's gaze. Her face contorted in confusion.

Liam tried to wrap his mouth around the word. "Raxico… Racixio…"

"Raxacoricofallapatorious," Rose said softly. "Never heard of it. Where's that at?"

Wracking his brain, John couldn't seem to come up with the answer. "Somewhere in the former Soviet Union…I think."

Rose seemed to relax with his answer. "That sounds about right." Catching her tongue between her teeth, she smiled. That smile always seemed like it was reserved just for him. He hadn't seen her give it to Liam, at least not yet. His heart skipped a beat. What was it about this woman that drew him in so much?

Liam coughed, causing John and Rose to both look away from the other. "Anyway," John said, leaning back in his chair. "Right now I'm working on a book, a novel, a story. It's coming along rather well if I do say so myself."

"What's the book about? If you don't mind my asking." Liam scooted closer to Rose, leaning over slightly so he could look at the other man.

Suddenly unnerved, John tugged on his ear. He has only ever discussed his book with Rose and even then it has been in vague terms. "Well, you know… it's about the end of the world as seen through the eyes of God."

Rose snorted. "Fancy yourself a god, John?"

"Nah," he gave her lazy grin. "I'd make a terrible god, much too fallible, me. You though, Rose, would make a wonderful goddess."

"I don't doubt that," Liam replied, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Rose has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. It's why I love her so much."

Leaning over, Rose softly whispered, "I love you, too." It had sounded like a reflex for her to say that. Maybe she'd hoped that John wouldn't overhear, but he had and he was overcome with jealousy.

A tight silence fell over the table. Their food arrived a few minutes later, and they tucked in without anyone a word to each other. After several uncomfortable minutes, Liam excused himself when his mobile rang, leaving John and Rose alone for the first time that day.

"So engaged…wow," John stated softly, hurt creeping into his voice. "Liam appears to be a good bloke." He'd always prided himself as a good judge of character and as much as he hated to admit it, the other man genuinely seemed to be a decent guy.

"He's the best," Rose replied, eyes darting all around the room, looking at everything but the man sitting next to her. "We've been through a lot together, him and me."

A lump formed in his throat and his chest tightened thinking about the little girl in the photo. "How long have you two been together then?"

Sighing slightly, Rose said, "'Bout five years. The last one sort of off and on; long distance relationship, you know."

Some of the tightness eased slightly. So the child probably wasn't hers, at least not hers with Liam. She would have mentioned if she had a child. Wouldn't she? Maybe not. Probably not. It wasn't like she had been forthcoming with information on her fiancé. "Why didn't you just tell me?" The words left his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

Rose gave a small, derisive laugh. "We've only just met, John, only known each other a couple of weeks. I told you before, I don't just spill my life story to everyone. I've told you more in the brief time I've known you than anyone else in town will ever know." She twisted her napkin in her hands. "And things with Liam are complicated."

"You keep saying that," John hissed. His anger and jealousy took over so that he hadn't actually listened to what she said. "It's like an excuse when someone wants to get close. You say it's complicated, and suddenly things are supposed to go away. If you weren't interested in me at all, then you should have just said something."

Looking up at him, there was fire in Rose's eyes. "My relationship with Liam has nothing to do with you and I've told you, numerous times, that all I wanted from you was your friendship. It's hardly my fault that you don't listen or think about anyone but yourself. Ever."

"Well, you hardly know me so you don't really get to judge me." Anger escalated and he wasn't able to tamp it down. "I've been nothing but open and honest with you since the day we met. You're the one hiding things. You're the one with all the secrets." Thankfully the restaurant was nearly empty since he was almost yelling. "I'm not the one who is stringing two men along because you can't decide which one you want. Just like you always do. Coz that's what you do, isn't it, Rose?" Resentment dripped off of his words and for a moment he felt like another man.

Fury radiated off of her as she slid her chair back from the table. "You are a right bastard. Do you know that? Never in my life have I ever been unfaithful to anyone, unlike you." Pulling out her handbag, she threw some money down on the table. "Call a cab to take you home. I'm done."

She stalked off and didn't look back. Somewhere in the back of his mind he pictured her doing something similar, dressed in different clothes, a rucksack on her back. It had been his fault then just as much as it was his fault now. When he blinked the image was gone, and all he was left with was regret. Where had those words come from? It was almost as if he was comparing her to a ghost. Someone who lived in his dreams.

Pushing his plate back, John lowered his head and started to bang it lightly on the table. He had potentially just ruined the best thing he had before he even really had it. Stupid, stupid man.

There was a shuffling sound as someone sat down at the table. "Sorry about that. My daughter, Sophie, called. If it's not one crisis it's another when you're ten," Liam said, and John looked up. "Where's Rose?"

John could feel the heat creep up his cheeks as he blushed. "We had… a difference of opinion, and she left. Didn't expect her to leave you behind, though."

A soft chuckle sounded from the other man. "I was gone for less than ten minutes, and you had a row. She can be a little hot tempered, my Rose. Especially if you goad her into it. Let me guess, it was about me."

How could this man sit here and calmly talk to someone who could potentially be a rival for his fiancé's affections? Someone who didn't see him as a rival, obviously. "How are you human?" Again, the words tumbled out of his mouth before his brain could catch up.

"I'm just as human as you are, maybe more so," Liam laughed and clapped him on the back. "Come on, let's call for a taxi. The wait will give Rose some time to cool off."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Not sure when the next chapter will be up. It's written but my beta is unavailable for at least a week plus I'm pushing to finish the whole thing in the next few days. Happy 50th everyone. Ever the hopeful optimist, me. Plan for the worst so you're not disappointed but you could be pleasantly surprised.**

**~oOo~ **

It was several hours later when Rose finally headed home. Her life hadn't felt quite this rocky in years, and she had needed time to think things through. She had needed time to try and find her center. For that reason, she had taken a long hike to her favorite thinking spot and had made a call to Jack. That impossible man would probably always be her biggest confidant, and having John say things that only the Doctor know had unnerved her. So much for a simple three month babysitting job.

Not to mention how angry she had become when he'd said those things. She may not be perfect, but she didn't deserve his scorn. Her jaw clenched once again when she thought about it. Okay, so maybe there had been a small point in there about stringing people along. She had never formally ended things with Mickey even if they both knew that things were over. If anything, they were officially exes when he hooked up with Trisha whatever her last name was. And she was certainly not the one who was holding back in her relationship with the Doctor.

Thankfully, John's SUV was gone when she pulled into her driveway. Right now she didn't want to hear the apology that she was sure John had been practicing since the moment that she left the restaurant. This human man was, unlike his fully Time Lord self, sometimes rude but never to her. John usually went out of his way to be polite to her and to act like a gentleman.

She cringed at the thought of abandoning both John and Liam like that. It had, however, been in everybody best interest that she left before she was arrested for slapping John in public. Besides, Liam had texted her less than an hour later that the two of them had arrived back safely and with nary the argument between them. Liam had changed a lot since she'd met him and all for the better.

Stepping out of her own vehicle, she winced when she put pressure on her left ankle. She'd rolled it coming down the trail. It's what she got for wearing dress boots rather than her hiking ones. It took a little extra time but she made it up the steps and into her house.

"Hello?" Rose called, setting down her handbag. "Liam, are you here?" There was nothing but silence. Last night he had taken a taxi from the airport so he had no car but it was only a short walk into town. If he had gone out he probably couldn't have gone far.

The pain in her ankle had already begun to lessen as she made it to the freezer for a cold compress. By tomorrow or the next day it should be healed properly. Maybe there was something in the TARDIS' med bay that she could use as a wrap in the meantime.

Opening the door to the basement, she was astounded to find Liam sitting quietly on the bottom of the steps. His eyes focused on the blue police box in front of him. Gently, she sat down a few steps down from the top, slipped off the boot on the offending ankle and applied the compress. Then she watched him watch the TARDIS.

Liam shifted, turning his body slightly. "All these years, all those things that have happened, all those stories from you, Aunt Sarah Jane, Jack, Mickey, and Martha. I just didn't get it." He paused, and Rose waited for him to speak again. "I told you I'd seen this ship once before, the night the Doctor came to call, but I hardly noticed her before. Which strange because right now I can feel it. Feel all that power radiating from it. It's… oh, what's the right word…"

"Beautiful," Rose whispered with a soft smile.

"More like terrifying, I think." Liam's voice was solemn. "You really tore open the ship's heart and took in all that power? How did you survive?"

She sighed. The only people that she had ever discussed the events on the Games Station with were Liam and Jack. Her mum would have been terrified with the knowledge, and the Doctor hadn't deemed it important enough to talk about. Or he hadn't deemed her important enough to know what she had truly done. Either way, it didn't really matter now. There was too much water under that bridge.

"I don't know, really. We never actually talked about it. I mean, I remember parts of what happened." Ever since the TARDIS had landed here her dreams had been filled with dreams about her time as Bad Wolf. "And now I remember the Doctor taking the power of the Vortex from me." Unconsciously she raised her fingers to her lips. "I know that that is what made the Doctor regenerate. Saved his life just to kill him a few minutes later. I, apparently, escaped unscathed."

Tears pricked her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if he resented me for that. If that's why he pushed me away." A wave of admonishment came from the ship at the bottom of the stairs, and Rose stared in wonder. She'd never felt the TARDIS in her mind outside of the ship before they had arrived here a few weeks ago. Since the ship had landed, Rose had felt that familiar, gentle nudge of the old girl in the back of her mind. Not to mention the TARDIS managed the translations of alien languages from great distances, an ability that she hadn't lost when she left the Doctor.

Liam began to speak again, breaking Rose from her thoughts. "Is that why you heal faster now? I mean faster than an average human." He was fully facing her now.

"How do you know about that?" It's not that it was a secret, but she herself hadn't figured it out until she had moved to Colorado.

He shrugged. "I'm not stupid, Rose."

"I never said that you were."

"In five years you never got so much as a cold. Even when Soph and I had that really bad flu, you were the picture of health. Not to mention you broke your wrist on one of your weekend alien hunting trips with Jack. What? Less than a week before you moved here. And I was looking at picture you sent Sophie two weeks later and there was no cast on your arm." There was a moment's pause before he spoke again. "When did you find out?"

"Not until the break healed." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Martha wanted me to see a physician when I got her. Went in to have it X-rayed a few days after I moved into the house, and there was no break. The doctor couldn't even see evidence that one had ever been there. I lied and told him it had been a hairline fracture, and my records must have been wrong because it was a month or so since I'd been hurt."

She moved the compress off of her foot. "I was so scared of what that meant. Called Martha immediately and she was on the next flight out. She turned this room into a laboratory and ran every test she could think of."

Liam scooted up a couple of steps. "What did she find?"

"Nothing really. Everything came back normal except that my rate cellular decay has slowed dramatically."

"So you're like Jack?" He reached over and tenderly touched her injured ankle.

Rose shrugged. "Don't know if I'm immortal and to tell you the truth, it's not a theory I want to test."

"Why didn't you tell me?" His fingers caressed her no longer throbbing ankle.

"I didn't know how. No one knows outside of Martha, Mickey and Jack." Cocking her head to the side, she studied him. "How do you tell someone you love that you're probably going to outlive them by decades? How do you even reconcile that within yourself?"

"Oh, Rose." Liam enveloped her in a tight hug. "I would have understood. I love you, unconditionally."

She pulled back and looked deep into his eyes, and she suddenly knew what it must have felt like to be the Doctor.

~oOo~

"Rose! No!" John sat bolt upright in his bed, sweat dripping off his brow. His hands fumbled in the dark seeking the lamp. With a small click, the soft light almost blinded him. He blinked rapidly, letting his eyes adjust and then grabbed his journal. Charcoal pencil in hand, he sketched a face he'd drawn an insane amount of times since he'd met her.

But this time it was different, her mouth was downturned, hurt radiating from her eyes. She was sad, and it was his fault. He wasn't sure what he had done but he knew to his core that he was the cause of her pain. Flipping a page he began another sketch, this one of a man, dressed in period clothing, pre-revolutionary France, his face set behind a bizarre mask. A robot, he was a robot, an enemy of the Doctor, the madman that John sometimes he dreamed he was. A man who always hurt the ones that he loved most.

Behind the clockwork man, John drew a fireplace, an old ornate thing. Beside it, he wrote the words _regret, mistakes, Rose taken for granted. _Slamming the journal shut, he jumped up and started pacing the room. What did it all mean?

Raking his fingers through his hair, he pulled on his trainers and grabbed a jumper to pull over his vest top. It had been a chilly night, and he'd worn sweats to bed. No time like four o'clock in the morning when it is freezing outside to go for a run to clear your mind.

~oOo~

Rose pulled on her lightweight jacket, completing her running outfit. Part of her wondered if John would be joining her this morning. Another much larger part didn't want to see him just now.

She didn't fancy seeing anyone right now. Last night after their talk in the basement, Liam had wanted to discuss him and Sophie moving here on a permanent basis now that all the custody issues had been sorted. A year ago, Rose would have wanted nothing more than to marry Liam and help him raise his daughter. There had even been talk of future children together.

Now though, Rose was slightly hesitant and she didn't know why. Most people would believe that the arrival of the TARDIS was what had caused this trepidation. Rose knew, however, that that was only a small part of it. And now she needed time, alone, to clear her mind.

After grabbing her mobile and leaving a note for the man sleeping upstairs, Rose left for her run.

John wasn't waiting for her on the sidewalk and she was just a little bit disappointed. She shoved her ear buds into place and cranked the music on her iPod. Maybe the thrumming backbeats of the upbeat pop songs would drown out the thoughts filling her head.

Today, she chose to take one of her favorite paths. It was rocky and took a steep incline, but the view from the top was spectacular. Rose shut herself off to everything except from stimuli in her immediate vicinity, her feet hitting the ground, the clean, crisp air filling her lungs and the music in her ears. She was about two miles in when she found him lying in the middle of the path in a pool of blood.

"Doctor," she cried dropping to her knees beside the Doctor's prone body. His breathing was shallow, and his lips were tinged blue. "Oh god, John, don't do this to me." His pulse was thread and he was bleeding from his left temple. She had no idea how long he had been out here, and she was afraid. What would happen to the Doctor if this human body died? Surely John couldn't regenerate.

Pulling out her mobile, she dialed 999 before remembering this was America and they used 911. She was trembling as she kept the phone to her ear and took off her jacket to wrap around John. He was wearing sweat pants, a t-shirt and a thin jacket. The lady at the call center advised Rose not to move him since they weren't sure of the extent of his head injury but to monitor his breathing and try to keep him warm while they waited for emergency services to arrive.

It took everything that Rose had in her not to snap at the woman on the other end of the phone. After all of the scrapes that she had gotten into with the Doctor, Rose most likely knew more about first aid than most people. Still she needed to tamp down the panic that was rising in her. Had this been the Doctor she would have just dragged him back to the TARDIS. John's human body was much more fragile.

"Rose," he moaned.

"I'm here, John, and help is on the way. You'll be alright. One way or another, I promise you that you'll be alright." Reaching under the jacket draped across his chest, she found his hand and entwined her finger with his. "I've got you."

It was an agonizingly slow wait for the arrival of the ambulance to reach the base of the trail and then for the EMTs to hike in the two miles to them. Time slowed down and seconds ticked by like hours as they started the IV and began the arduous trek back down the narrow trail.

It all felt surreal. They'd both been in far worse danger before. Hell, the Doctor had died and regenerated in front of her, but this felt different, scarier. Rose followed behind them, reminding them for the third time that he was allergic to aspirin and refused to take no for an answer when they tried to stop her from getting in the ambulance. John continued to moan her name all the way to the hospital. His hand was still tightly clasped in Rose's while she listened to the EMT's talk about his low blood pressure and his lowered core temperature. If they only knew how much lower his body temperature was when he was his fully alien self.

"Hold on, John. We'll get to the hospital soon, yeah? You're not going to die, not on my watch," Rose said softly, more to comfort herself than to him. "I can't lose you now."


End file.
